REMINISCENCES 


OF   THE 


LAST  SIXTY -FIVE  YEARS, 


COMMENCING  WITH  THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON. 


ALSO, 


SKETCHES  OF  HIS  OWN  LIFE  AND  TIMES. 


BY  E.  S.  THOMAS, 

Formerly  Editor  of  the  Charleston  (S.  C.)  City  Gazette,  and  lately 
of  the  Cincinnati  Daily  Evening  Post. 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES, 

VOL.  I. 


HARTFORD. 

PRINTED  BY  CASE,  TIFFANY  AND  BURNHAM, 

FOR    THE    AUTHOR. 
1840. 


Entered 
According  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1840, 

By  E.  S.  THOMAS, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Connecticut. 


TO 

(ffbttors  of  %  |)mobkal  |)ra0 


THROUGHOUT  THE 


GE  NTLEME  N  I 

It  is  to  your  innumerable  kind  notices  of  such  parts 
of  the  following  Work,  and  of  their  author,  as  have  been 
published  in  the  Cincinnati  Daily  Evening  Post,  within 
the  last  two  years,  that  this  work  owes  its  existence  in 
its  present  extended  form;  and  ingratitude  for  your  good 
feelings  thus  extended  towards  me,  I  DEDICATE  this  work 
to  you.  With  the  single  remark  that  you  will 

"  Speak  of  me  as  I  am,  nothing  extenuate, 
Nor  set  down  aught  in  malice;" 

I  subscribe  myself  your  obliged  friend, 

E.  S.  THOMAS, 


M186G09 


PREFACE. 


IN  my  youth  I  read  a  great  deal,  and  had 
read  many  works  without  ever  having  read  a 
preface,  until  I  was  going  to  read  Montesquieu, 
when,  as  luck  would  have  it,  I  happened  to 
open  at  the  preface,  and  my  eye  lit  upon  the 
passage,  where  he  quotes  the  exclamation  of 
Corregio,  on  viewing  a  painting,  the  production 
of  one  of  his  great  predecessors,  "  and  I  also 
am  a  painter"  From  that  time,  I  never  read 
a  book  without  having  first  read  the  preface, 
which,  I  at  once  discovered,  was  necessary  to 
a  correct  understanding  of  the  author. 

The  following  work  consists  solely  of  my 
personal  recollections,  except  in  a  very  few 
instances,  the  sources  of  which  are  distinctly 
pointed  out,  where  they  occur.  The  first  remi 
niscence  was  of  JOHN  HANCOCK,  about  four  years 
ago,  the  next  was  of  SAMUEL  ADAMS;  finding, 
by  my  exchange  papers,  that  their  circulation 


PREFACE. 


was  almost  co-extensive  with  our  country,  I 
was  induced  to  proceed  with  them,  and  the 
many  calls  made  upon  me,  through  the  press, 
to  continue,  has,  within  the  last  two  years, 
brought  them  to  their  present  state.  A  large 
portion  of  the  reminiscences  have  never  been  in 
print  before,  and  none  of  the  sketches  of  my  Life 
and  Times.  The  correctness  of  those  that 
have  been  published,  has  never  yet,  in  a  single 
instance,  to  my  knowledge,  been  called  in  ques 
tion,  although  it  is  scarcely  possible  but  that 
there  must  be  errors,  from  the  very  nature  of 
the  work. 

The  APPENDIX  will  be  found  to  contain  a 
mass  of  miscellaneous  articles  which  have  been 
thought  worthy  of  preservation,  by  competent 
judges,  to  whom  they  were  committed  for  their 
decision. 


REMINISCENCES 


OF   THE 


LAST  SIXTY-FIVE  YEARS. 


BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON. 

Written  April  20,  1837. 

IN  turning  over  the  pages  of  Grimshaw's  History  of 
the  United  States,  written  for,  and  used  in,  our  schools, 
I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  errors  in  point  of  fact, 
and  the  total  want  of  those  particulars,  which  alone  give 
interest  to  events  leading  to  such  results  as  were  produced 
by  the  battles  of  Concord  and  Lexington,  and  Bunker's 
Hill 

I  had  not  entered  upon  the  threshold  of  existence,  when 
these  battles  W7ere  fought,  but  that  event  happened  soon 
after.  My  father  was  in  both  of  them,  as  one  of  the 
minute  men  of  those  days,  —  that  is,  one  who  had  bound 
himself  to  turn  out,  at  a  minute's  notice,  in  defence  of  his 
country.  The  sketch  I  am  going  to  give  of  the  first  of 
these  battles,  I  received  from  my  parents,  both  of  whom 
often  gratified  my  childish  inquiries,  by  a  recital  of  the 
events  of  that  ever  memorable  day,  in  which  they  were 


8  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

both  participants  —  my  mother,  much  against  her  incli 
nation,  as  I  shall  show. 

The  British,  in  possession  of  Boston,  had  learnt  that  a 
quantity  of  public  stores  were  deposited  at  Concord, 
nineteen  miles  distant,  and  determined  to  send  out  a  force 
sufficient  to  destroy  them.  Another,  and  a  much  more 
important  object  of  the  expedition  was,  to  capture,  if 
possible,  John  Hancock  and  Samuel  Adams,  who  were 
known  to  be  in  that  neighborhood,  and  upon  whose  heads 
a  price  had  been  set. 

On  the  night  of  the  18th  of  April,  1775,  the  British 
landed  eight  hundred  men  in  Charlestown,  who  took  up 
their  line  of  march  through  Menotomy  (now  called  West 
Cambridge)  and  Lexington,  to  Concord  ;  it  was  a  calm 
star-light  night,  and  they  moved  with  all  possible  still 
ness  ;  at  West  Cambridge,  they  passed  my  father's  house, 
and  their  tread  awoke  him  ;  he  arose,  stood  at  the  win 
dow,  and  counted  the  platoons.  As  soon  as  they  had 
all  passed,  he  seized  his  musket  and  started  across  the 
country,  every  road  of  which  was  familiar  to  him ;  in 
his  progress,  he  fell  in  with  numbers  on  the  same  errand, 
that  was,  to  get  ahead  of  the  enemy,  and  alarm  the  coun 
try,  in  both  of  which  they  succeeded,  so  that  when  the 
British  arrived  at  Lexington,  eleven  miles  from  Boston, 
about  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  they  found  the  militia 
assembling ;  they  had  intelligence  of  the  enemy's  move 
ments  some  hours  before,  and  had  promptly  assembled  ; 
but,  the  enemy  not  then  making  their  appearance,  were 
dismissed,  to  assemble  again  at  beat  of  drum.  When  the 
British  came  within  striking  distance,  major  Pitcairn  rode 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  9 

forward  and  called  out,  "  disperse,  you  damrfd  rebels,  dis 
perse  ;"  and  without  waiting  to  see  whether  they  would 
or  not,  fired  his  pistol,  which  was  the  signal  for  a  volley 
from  the  advance,  which  killed  eight ;  the  others  dispers 
ed,  and  the  British  pursued  their  way  to  Concord,  where 
they  arrived  without  interruption,  and  destroyed  the 
stores,  but  Hancock  and  Adams  had  made  their  escape. 
They  then  commenced  a  retreat,  to  do  which  they  had  to 
pass  the  north  bridge :  at  the  foot  of  it  captain  Davis  had 
drawn  up  his  company,  (the  Concord  Light  Infantry)  and 
then  and  there  the  first  volley  was  fired  by  the  Americans, 
in  that  cause  which  gave  independence  to  America,  and 
freedom  to  a  world.  In  the  meantime  the  minute  men  were 
pouring  in  from  all  quarters,  and  the  British  found  them 
selves  so  hotly  pressed,  that  had  it  not  been  for  a  reinforce 
ment  of  about  a  thousand  men,  with  two  field  pieces,  under 
Lord  Percy,  whom  Governor  Gage  had  despatched  to 
their  assistance,  not  a  man  of  the  detachment  would  have 
got  back  to  Boston.  The  reinforcement  met  the  retreat 
ing  column  near  Lexington,  greatly  diminished  in  num 
bers,  and  almost  exhausted,  having  taken  no  refreshment 
since  they  left  Boston,  from  whence  they  were  yet  distant 
eleven  miles,  and  had  to  fight  every  inch  of  the  way. 

The  plan  then  adopted  by  Lord  Percy,  was  one  of  the 
most  savage  warfare :  his  troops  fell  off  from  the  front, 
entered  the  houses  of  the  Americans,  plundered  them  of 
whatever  they  could  carry,  set  fire  to  the  buildings,  and 
then  joined  the  rear,  thus  giving  an  opportunity  to  their 
whole  force  to  plunder ;  but,  so  hot  was  the  pursuit,  a 
large  portion  of  the  fires  were  extinguished  before  they 


10  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

had  done  much  damage.  When  they  had  passed  "  the 
foot  of  the  rocks"  they  entered  the  plain  of  West  Cam 
bridge,  seven  miles  from  Charles  River,  and  quite  a  vil 
lage  for  about  two  miles  ;  at  least  I  found  it  so,  when  a 
school  boy  ten  years  after,  and  there  was  no  appearance 
of  any  addition  to  it  since  the  Revolution. 

It  is  proper  here  to  remark  that  there  were  two  taverns 
in  West  Cambridge,  the  one  kept  by  a  Mr.  Cooper,  and  the 
resort  of  the  Whigs ;  the  other  kept  by  a  Mr.  Bradish,  and 
the  resort  of  the  Tories.  There  were  three  families  on  the 
road  within  a  fourth  of  a  mile,  by  the  name  of  Adams,  a 
name  hateful  to  the  British  ;  in  one  of  these  Mrs.  Adams 
was  confined  the  night  before ;  the  enemy  entered  the 
house,  took  the  bed  on  which  she  lay  with  her  infant  at 
the  breast,  and  carried  them  into  the  yard,  and  left  them 
there.  A  little  boy,  about  four  or  five  years  old,  had 
taken  shelter  under  his  mother's  bed — his  foot  projected 
from  beneath  the  drapery,  a  British  soldier  thrust  his 
bayonet  through  it,  and  for  a  moment  pinned  it  to  the 
floor ;  the  boy  did  not  utter  even  a  cry :  this  fact  I  had 
from  his  mother.  They  then  plundered  the  house  and 
set  it  on  fire,  but  the  Americans  entered  in  a  few  minutes, 
extinguished  the  fire,  and  restored  the  mother  and  infant, 
to  their  room  and  bed.  Their  next  exploit  was  at  the 
Whig  tavern,  into  which  they  fired  more  than  a  hundred 
bullets  ;  the  holes  made  by  them  were  filled  up,  but  the 
marks  are  visible  to  this  day.  It  was  a  singular  fact  that 
three  old  men,  of  seventy  years  and  upwards  each,  who 
were  tories,  the  battle  coming  on  them  so  unexpectedly, 
took  shelter  in  this  tavern,  (Cooper's)  where  the  British 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  11 

found  them  and  put  them  to  death.     The  name  of  one  of 
them  was  Winship, — I  well  remember  his  son.     The 
heavy  discharges  of  musketry  at  this  tavern,  brought  my 
mother  into  the  street  or  road,  who  had  learned  nothing 
certain  of  what  had  been  going  on,  from  the  time  my 
father  had  left  her  the  previous  evening.     To  her  utter 
astonishment  she  saw  the  battle  raging  at  less  than  half 
a  mile  distance ;  she  instantly  returned  into  the  house, 
secured  a  small  bag  of  the  currency  so  much  wanted  at 
this  time,  and  a  few  small  articles,  then  taking  one  child, 
of  two  years  old,  in  her  arms,  and  having  two  older  ones, 
hanging  to  her  apron,  she  sallied  forth  to  go  to  a  captain 
Whitemore's,  about  two  'miles  distant,  across  the  fields, 
on  the  bank  of  Mystic  river,  (women  and  children  had 
already  fled  there  to  the  number  of  a  hundred  of  the 
former,  and  two  or  three  hundred  of  the  latter.)     She 
had  scarcely  set  foot  in  the  road,  when  one  cried  for 
bread ;  she  returned  into  the  house,  and  cutting  a  loaf, 
gave  a  piece  to  him  that  wanted  it,  and  tying  the  remain 
der  up  in  her  apron,  she  was  again  in  the  road.     In  the 
mean  time,  the  battle  had  approached  so  near,  she  was 
within  point  blank  shot  of  the  retreating  enemy,  who  let 
go  a  whole  volley  at  her,  which  did  no  other  damage 
than  to  pass  two  balls  through  her  cap.     The  Americans 
saw  her  perilous  situation,  and  called  out  to  her,  "  run, 
good  woman,  run ;"  she  did  so,  and  arrived  safe  at  the 
house  of  refuge.     The  enemy,  in  the  mean  time,  sent  out 
a  flanking  party  with  the  intention  to  cut  off  this  resort 
of  the  mother  and  child, — an  object  which  they  came 
nigh  accomplishing;  for  the  Americans  did  not  succeed 


12  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

in  turning  their  flank  until  they  had  approached  the  house 
near  enough  to  lodge  bullets  into  it ;  and  a  very  large 
elm  tree,  within  twenty-five  feet  of  the  house,  was  spat 
tered  with  them,  which  I  took  great  pleasure  in  cutting 
out  ten  and  twelve  years  after.  After  my  mother's  es 
cape,  they  entered  the  house,  took  every  article  of  cloth 
ing  and  bedding,  except  the  beds  themselves,  which  they 
ripped  open,  split  up  the  furniture,  and  then  set  fire  to  the 
house  ;  but  the  building  was  saved.  They  also  killed  a 
horse  in  the  stable,  and  some  hogs  in  a  pen. 

Near  my  father's  dwelling,  was  Bradish's  Tory  tavern ; 
when  they  arrived  at  that,  Mrs.  Bradish,  who  was  in 
delicate  health,  rose  from  her  easy  chair,  to  retire  from 
the  front  of  the  house ;  she  had  not  left  it  a  minute,  when 
a  bullet  passed  through  the  back  of  it ;  it  was  the  only 
one  fired  at  the  house,  and  was  probably  done  inadver 
tently.  The  British  officers,  who  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  making  trips  to  the  country,  particularly  on  Sundays, 
knew  every  family,  which  was  whig  and  which  was  tory, 
for  many  miles  round,  and  dealt  with  them  accordingly, 
when  they  had  the  opportunity.  It  was  not  until  dark 
that  they  arrived  in  Charlestown,  when  the  Americans 
withdrew  from  the  contest,  and  they  (the  British)  en 
camped  on  Bunker's  Hill.  The  next  morning  they  en 
tered  Boston.  The  loss  on  both  sides  has  been  differently 
stated,  and  my  memory  does  not  serve  me  with  certainty 
on  this  subject ;  but  a  pamphlet  which  I  remember  to 
have  read,  containing  affidavits  of  many  of  the  occurren 
ces  of  the  day,  it  seems  to  me  put  down  the  loss  of  the 
British  at  two  hundred  and  forty-five,  besides  many 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  13 

wounded,  and  that  of  the  Americans  at  about  one  hundred 
and  forty ;  but  I  am  not  certain,  nor  have  I  any  authori 
ties  at  hand,  to  refer  to,  on  the  subject. 

Thus  terminated  the  first  battle,  in  which  every  enor 
mity,  that  time  permitted  the  perpetration  of,  marked  the 
conduct  of  a  licentious  soldiery  on  the  one  part,  while  on 
the  other,  our  patriotic  sires  conducted  with  all  that  bra 
very,  coolness  and  good  conduct,  which  should  ever 
distinguish  the  citizen  soldier,  fighting  in  defence  of  his 
rights. 

A  monument  has  been  erected  on  the  spot  where  the 
first  blood  was  spilt,  on  which  is  the  following  inscription: 

Sacred  to  the  Liberty  and  the  Rights  of  Mankind ! ! ! 

The  Freedom  and  Independence  of  America, 
Sealed  and  defended  with  the  blood  of  her  sons. 

This  Monument  is  erected 

By  the  Inhabitants  of  Lexington, 

Under  the  patronage,  and  at  the  expense  of 

The  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts, 

To  the  memory  of  their  Fellow-Citizens, 

Ensign  Robert  Munroe,  Messrs.  Jonas  Parker, 

Samuel  Hadley,  Jonathan  Harrington,  jr. 

Isaac  Muzzy,  Caleb  Harrington,  and  John  Brown, 

Of  Lexington,  and  Asahel  Porter  of  Woburn, 

Who  fell  on  this  field,  the  first  victims  to  the 

Sword  of  British  Tyranny  and  Oppression, 

On  the  morning  of  the  ever  memorable 

Nineteenth  of  April,  An.  Dom.  1775. 

The  Die  was  Cast!!! 

The  Blood  of  these  Martyrs 

In  the  cause  of  God  and  their  Country, 

Was  the  Cement  of  the  Union  of  these  States,  then 

Colonies,  and  gave  the  spring  to  the  Spirit,  Firmness 

And  Resolution  of  their  Fellow-Citizens. 
They  rose  as  one  man  to  revenge  their  brethren's 
Blood,  and  at  the  point  of  the  sword  to  assist  and 

Defend  their  native  Rights. 

They  nobly  dared  to  be  free  ! ! 

The  contest  was  long,  bloody  and  affecting; 

Righteous  Heaven  approved  the  solemn  appeal ; 

Victory  crowned  their  arms  ; 

And  the  Peace,  Liberty,  and  Independence,  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  was  their  glorious  Reward. 

Built  in  the  year  1799. 
VOL.  J.  2 


14  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 


BOSTON  FROM  1781  TO  1705. 

Written  June  10,  1838. 

MY  first  visit  to  Boston  was  in  1784.  There  was  no 
bridge  then,  and  at  very  high  spring  tides,  the  neck,  by 
which  the  peninsula  on  which  the  town  is  built  is  con 
nected  with  the  main  land,  was  sometimes  overflowed, 
making  the  town  an  island.  The  north  erd  of  the  town 
was  entered  by  a  ferry  from  Charlestown.  At  this  pe 
riod  very  little  improvement  had  been  made  in  it  since  the 
Revolution,  and  there  was  much  talk  about  the  possibility 
of  building  a  bridge  to  Charlesto\vn,  many  believing  it 
impossible,  from  the  great  depth  of  \vater  in  the  channel 
of  Charles  river;  others  insisted,  that  if  built,  the  ice 
would  destroy  it ;  and  others,  that  it  wrould  be  greatly 
injurious  to  the  navigation  ;  but  by  far  the  greater  num 
ber  disbelieved  in  the  possibility  of  building  one.  There 
was  th^n  living  at  Mystic,  (now  Medford)  about  three 
miles  from  Boston,  an  ingenious  shipwright  by  the  name 
of  Cox  ;*  he  insisted  upon  the  practicability  of  building 
the  bridge ;  was  anxious  to  undertake  it,  and  willing  to 

*  The  complete  success  of  Mr  Cox,  in  the  construction  of  this  bridge, 
occasioned  his  being  sent  for  to  go  to  Ireland,  to  build  one  over  the  Boyne, 
at  Londonderry.  He  took  his  Yankee  workmen  with  him  ;  built  the 
bridge  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  employers,  and  opened  it  on  the  fourth 
of  July,  1788,  when  a  battle  took  place  between  his  workmen  and  the 
Irish,  v/hich,  but  for  the  prompt  interference  of  the  magistracy,  aided  by 
the  rniliUuy,  would  have  been  a  very  serious  business.  He  was  after 
wards  applied  to  by  the  corporation  of  London  to  take  down  the  monu 
ment  which  was  built  to  commemorate  the  great  fire  of  1666,  and  which 
was  supposed  to  threaten  destruction  by  a  fall,  as  it  leaned  a  little  ;  but 
they  would  not  give  him  his  price,  and  he  declined  the  undertaking.  I 
lost  sight  of  him  after  this  entirely. 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  15 

stake  his  all  upon  the  result.  He  succeeded  in  bringing 
the  enterprising  and  influential  to  his  views ;  a  charter 
was  obtained,  and  the  bridge  built,  and  was  opened  on 
the  17th  of  June,  1786,  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of 
Bunker's  Hill,  when  Boston  poured  forth  her  thousands 
in  grand  procession  over  it  to  celebrate  the  event.  I 
have  been  thus  particular  upon  this  subject,  because  it 
was  the  building  of  this  bridge  that  first  gave  an  impetus 
to  improvement  in  Boston.  It  was  the  longest  bridge  in 
the  world,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  abutments, 
built  entirely  of  wood :  it  yielded  a  profit  of  from  thirty 
to  forty  per  cent,  per  annum,  until  the  West  Boston 
bridge  was  built  in  1793.  This  far  surpassed  in  length, 
and  beauty  of  architecture,  the  other ;  add  to  which,  it 
was  connected  with  a  causeway,  on  the  Cambridge  side, 
about  the  same  length  as  the  bridge  —  the  two  forming 
a  beautiful  promenade  of  about  two  miles  in  length, 
splendidly  illuminated  every  evening  with  a  profusion  of 
lamps.  A  little  incident  occurred  when  the  two  ends  of 
this  bridge  were  being  brought  to  a  close  in  the  middle, 
which  I  have  good  reason  to  remember.  There  were 
present  the  master  builder  and  a  number  of  persons  in 
terested  in  the  undertaking,  waiting  for  the  connecting 
plank  to  be  laid  down,  that  they  might  first  cross  the 
bridge  ;  it  was  just  at  the  close  of  day ;  I,  with  a  number 
of  others,  was  looking  on  ;  the  first  connecting  plank  was 
laid,  and  before  the  wrorkmen  were  aware  of  my  inten 
tion,  I  had  crossed:  a  hot  pursuit  commenced,  with  the 
intention  of  catching  and  punishing  me  for  my  temerity; 
but  I  was  not  to  be  caught,  and  was  amply  punished  in 


16  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

being  compelled  to  walk  round  through  Cambridge  and 
Charlestown,  and  pass  into  Boston  over  Charlestown 
bridge,  a  distance  of  six,  or  seven  miles. 

The  prominent  political  men  of  Boston,  at  the  period 
alluded  to,  were  John  Hancock,  Samuel  Adams,  Robert 
Treat  Paine,  James  Sullivan,  Oliver  Wendal,  Charles 
Jarvis,  Benjamin  Austin  and  Benjamin  Russel,  editor  of 
the  Centinel,  who,  backed  by  the  Essex  junto,  *  with  his 
press,  swayed  the  political  destinies  of  Massachusetts, 
and  through  her,  New  England,  a  great  portion  of  the 
time  for  nearly  half  a  century.  Hancock,  Adams,  Sul 
livan,  Jarvis,  and  Austin,  were  of  the  Republican  party. 
The  most  conspicuous  among  her  commercial  men,  who 
had  also  great  political  influence,  were  Thomas  Russel, 
Joseph  Barrel,  David  Sears,  John  Coffin  Jones,  John 
Codman,  Frazer  &  Son,  Nathaniel  Fellows,  Joseph 
Parsons,  Frederic  W.  Geyer,  Jonathan  Harris,  S.  &  S. 
Salisbury,  and  Stephen  Higginson,  the  latter  a  man  of 

*  There  is  a  hiatus  in  the  political  history  of  New  England,  which 
no  man,  that  I  know  of,  can  fill  up,  but  the  venerable  ex-editor  of  the 
Boston  Centinel,  the  Hon.  Benjamin  Russel ;  it  is  the  want  of  a  history 
of  the  "Essex  Junto"  The  vast  influence  exercised  by  the  few  indi 
viduals  composing  that  junto,  aided  by  Mr.  Russel  and  his  press,  was 
not  confined  to  New  England  even,  but  was  felt  through  all  the  ramifi 
cations  of  the  federal  party,  from  Maine  to  Georgia.  They  were  con 
trolled  by  hands  and  heads  unseen.  If  Mr.  Russel  could  be  induced  to 
undertake  such  a  task,  a  blank  in  our  political  history  would  be  filled 
up,  which  never  can  be  done  without  him  —  and  an  essential  service 
rendered  to  the  country.  I  doubt  if  the  history  of  parties  affords  a 
parallel  to  this  —  a  party  who  once  possessed  themselves  of  the  whole 
power  of  the  country,  under  the  administration  of  the  elder  Adams,  yet 
never  knew  the  springs  by  which  they  were  moved. 


LAST     SIXTY -FIVE     YEARS.  17 

talent,  and  a  distinguished  political  writer ;  he  wrote 
"Laco"  against  the  administration  of  Hancock,  by  which 
he  became  very  obnoxious  to  the  Republican  party. 
Mr.  Higginson  did  business  upon  long  wharf,  and  passed 
down  State  street  on  his  way  to  his  counting  house. 
The  truckmen  who  stood  in  State  street,  took  great  pains 
to  teach  a  parrot  (that  hung  in  a  cage  at  the  corner  of 
Merchants'  Row)  to  know  "  Laco,"  and  to  curse  him, 
and  so  completely  successful  were  they,  that  "  pretty 
poll"  no  sooner  saw  Mr.  Higginson  approach,  than  she 
began  to  "  Hurra  for  Hancock  ;  damn  Laco,"  and  con 
tinued  to  do  so  while  he  continued  in  sight.  These 
merchants  carried  on  a  very  extensive  commerce  with 
Russia  and  Sweden,  from  the  former  of  which  they  im 
ported  immense  quantities  of  iron,  hemp,  canvass,  and 
sheetings ;  from  the  latter,  iron  only.  There  was  also 
an  extensive  commerce  with  France,  Spain,  and  Portu 
gal,  carried  on  through  the  ports  of  Bordeaux,  Lisbon, 
and  Barcelona.  The  trade  w7ith  Great  Britain  at  the 
time  here  spoken  of,  was  very  limited ;  there  were  but 
five  or  six  houses  engaged  in  importing  her  manufac 
tures  :  at  the  head  of  them  was  Frazer  &  Son.  The 
trade  with  China  commenced  about  this  time,  not  in 
specie,  but  in  seal  skins  taken  on  the  northwest  coast  of 
America,  carried  to  Canton  and  exchanged  for  teas, 
silks,  and  nankeens.  This  business  for  many  years,  was 
immensely  lucrative,  and  large  fortunes  were  made  by 
it.  Instances  occurred  where  vessels  that  took  out 
nothing  but  their  provisions  and  some  trifling  articles  to 
trade  with  the  natives,  brought  back  return  cargoes  that 

2* 


18  REMINISCENCES    OP    THE 

paid  nearly  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  duties.  The 
trade  to  France,  Spain,  and  Portugal,  consisted  princi 
pally  in  the  export  of  fish,  and  the  import  of  their  wines, 
brandies,  and  fruit,  with  some  silks  from  the  two  former. 

There  were  a  few,  and  but  a  few,  elegant  mansions  in 
Boston  at  this  time,  and  they  were  all  built  before  the 
Revolution.  Among  the  first  modern  improvements 
was  that  of  Jonathan  Harris,  near  Fort  Hill,  which  was 
said  to  have  cost  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  ; 
this  was  followed  by  numerous  others,  many  of  which 
far  surpassed  that  in  expense  and  elegance  until  Boston, 
the  last  time  I  saw  it,  in  1816,  could  boast  more  splen 
did  private  dwellings  than  any  city,  (of four  times  its  then 
population,)  I  ever  saw  even  in  Europe. 

In  1792,  there  was  but  one  four  story  building  in  Bos 
ton,  and  that  was  on  Union  street,  not  far  from  Wing's 
Lane.  In  1816  there  were  a  number  of  ranges  of  four 
and  five  stories  high.  There  was  not,  if  my  memory 
serves,  a  solitary  brick  warehouse  on  any  wharf  in  the 
town.  Long  wharf  stretched  out  into  the  harbor  with 
its  seventy-four  frame  stores  that  did  not  appear  to  have 
been  painted  since  the  Revolution.  Then  there  was 
Minot's  T,  projecting  from  the  back  of  Long  wharf, 
Sears'  wharf,  and,  at  the  north  end,  Hancock's  wharf, 
with  others  of  minor  importance. 

In  1792  or  '3,  the  first  vessels  of  war,  carrying  the 
tri-color  of  the  French  Republic,  arrived  at  Boston. 
They  were  the  Concorde,  of  44  guns,  Capt.  Van  Dogan, 
and  the  Marseilles,  of  20  guns,  Capt.  —  — .  Van  Do 
gan  was  afterwards  blown  up  in  the  Ville  de  Paris,  of 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  19 

120  guns,  at  the  battle  of  the  Nile.  Their  arrival  crea 
ted  a  great  excitement,  and  the  opposite  political  parties 
for  a  while  forgot  their  differences  to  unite  in  doing 
honor  to  their  country's  allies.  French  victories  follow 
ed  each  other  in  such  rapid  succession  on  the  continent, 
that  the  enthusiasm  in  their  behalf  became  extreme,  and 
the  Bostonians  determined  to  celebrate  them  in  the  most 
splendid  manner.  This  celebration  took  place  in  mid 
winter,  when  the  cold  was  intense.  An  ox  was  roasted 
whole  in  State  street,  and  then  placed  upon  a  car  drawn 
by  thirteen  pair  of  white  horses,  preceded  and  followed 
by  music,  with  an  immense  multitude  carrying  banners 
of  various  descriptions,  and  all  wearing  the  tri-colored 
cockade,  paraded  through  the  streets,  marshalled  by  Col. 
Waters.  They  then  returned  to  State  street,  and  the 
hard  frozen  roast  beef  was  cut  up  with  axes  and  distri 
buted  among  the  multitude.  In  the  evening  the  State 
House,  the  French  Consul's  office,  and  a  few  other  build 
ings  were  splendidly  illuminated.  The  old  State  House 
made  a  most  beautiful  appearance.  My  old  friend  Rus- 
sel,  of  the  Centinel,  tuned  his  harp  to  the  Marseilles 
Hymn  at  this  time,  and  after  firing  a  broadside  at  John 
Bull  one  day,  he  wound  up  with  the  following  distich : 

"  'Tis  the  boast  of  a  Briton  to  bluster  and  threaten, 

But  hangs  his  tail  like  a  puppy  when  handsomely  beaten." 

His  harp  was  new  strung  in  1798,  to  a  very  different 
tune,  and  Britons  and  black  cockades  were  all  the  fash 
ion.  But  to  proceed :  the  principal  ship  yard  then  was 
at  the  foot  of  Milk  street,  intersecting  with  Kilby  street, 


20  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

and  there  Nathaniel  Fellows  had  built  a  ship  which  he 
called  the  Gennett,  in  compliment  to  the  French  minis 
ter.  She  was  launched  ready  rigged  from  the  stocks. 
She  proved  unfortunate.  He  then  built  the  Robespiere  ; 
that  prince  of  blood  hounds  being  then  at  the  height  of 
his  power.  She  was  loaded  and  sent  to  Bordeaux,  but 
did  not  arrive  there  until  her  namesake  had  rendered  up 
his  forfeit  life  upon  the  scaffold,  when  her  figure  head, 
which  was  the  statue  of  the  tyrant,  was  dealt  with  a  la 
Jackson,  on  the  Constitution.  But  nothing  could  damp 
the  ardor  of  Mr.  Fellows  in  the  cause  of  the  new  Repub 
lic  ;  he  built  another  and  called  her  the  "  Ca  Ira,"  it  will 
go  on. 

Bullfinch's  pasture,  at  West  Boston,  was  a  large,  open 
space  of  ground  in  1792,  west  of  which,  to  the  water, 
there  extended  a  range  of  hills  unoccupied  by  any  building 
but  the  "pest  house  ;"  a  great  part  of  it,  if  not  the  whole, 
has  since  been  built  up  with  splendid  mansions ;  while 
at  the  north  end,  particularly  from  the  entrance  to  north 
square  down  to  where  the  Constitution  frigate  was  built, 
very  little  improvement  had  been  made,  in  1816.  There 
were  the  same  old  fashioned  frame  houses,  with  the  upper 
story  projecting  over  the  lower  one,  that  had  occupied 
the  ground  for  more  than  a  century,  and  gave  an  appear 
ance  of  antiquity  equal  to  the  oldest  towns  in  Europe. 
Most  of  the  old  streets  in  Boston  are,  as  Freneau  says  of 
ancient  New  York,  "  modled  on  the  horns  of  a  ram ;" 
crooked  and  narrow,  giving  the  town  a  very  odd  appear 
ance  to  those  accustomed  to  modern  New  York,  Phila 
delphia,  Baltimore  or  Cincinnati.  In  1790,  her  popula- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  21 

tion  was  but  17  or  18  thousand,  but  then,  as  now,  that, 
with  the  population  of  the  towns  around  her,  within  a 
distance  of  a  dozen  miles,  constituted  the  most  densely 
populated  district  in  the  United  States,  of  its  size.  At 
the  time  we  speak  of,  with  the  exception  of  the  old  State 
House,  and  the  churches,  her  public  buildings  were  few 
and  ordinary.  There  were  few  manufacturers  in  those 
days  except  those  connected  with  ship  building,  which 
was  carried  on  extensively.  Hats  also  were  made  in 
quantities  by  Boardman  at  the  north  end,  and  Balch  on 
Cornhill.  Very  few  other  articles  were  made  in  larger 
quantities  than  were  wanted  for  home  consumption. 

Literature  and  the  fine  arts  had  already  "  a  local  habi 
tation  and  a  name"  among  the  Bostonians.  Her  clergy 
were  remarkable  for  their  talents,  piety,  and  devout  and 
holy  life,  practising  what  they  preached.  Among  the 
Presbyterians  were  Belknap,  the  historian  and  biogra 
pher  ;  Elliot,  a  man  of  science  and  literature  ;  Thatcher, 
a  splendid  orator ;  and  Clarke,  the  profound  scholar  and 
most  amiable  of  men.  Among  the  Episcopal  clergy, 
were  Parker,  (afterwards  Bishop,)  Lathrop,  and  soon 
afterwards  Gardner,  (son  of  the  old  Sachem  from  the 
East,  as  his  father  was  called ;)  he  was  a  man  of  great 
talent,  but  more  of  a  politician  than  a  religionist.  He 
wrote  a  poem  called  "  The  Jacob iniad,"  which  was  very 
severe  upon  the  Republican  party  and  its  leaders.  I 
never  saw  it  but  once,  and  that  was  nearly  forty-five 
years  ago,  but  I  recollect  that,  in  alluding  to  Dr.  Charles 
Jarvis,  who  was  a  most  splendid  orator,  and  file  leader 


22  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

of  the  Republican  party,  (with  Benjamin  Austin,)  he  had 
the  following  couplet : 

"  Behold  the  demagogue,  from  whose  smooth  tongue 
Deception  flows,  as  rivulets  glide  along." 

Of  the  Baptist  church,  there  were  Stillman  and  Baldwin, 
the  former  a  man  of  vast  power  and  eloquence,  such  as 
I  never  heard  surpassed  in  the  pulpit ;  he  was,  indeed, 
a  most  splendid  orator.  The  next,  and  last  that  I  shall 
notice,  were  the  Universalists ;  at  the  head  of  whom 
was  the  great  founder  of  that  sect  in  the  United  States, 
John  Murray;  he  was  a  host ;  cool,  deliberate,  and  pow 
erful.  He  had  for  an  assistant  a  Mr.  Richards,  the  best 
poet  America  ever  produced ;  he  wrote  the  "  Visions 
of  Glory"  extracts  from  which  were  frequently  publish 
ed  in  Thomas  &:  Andrews'  Massachusetts  Magazine  in 
1789  and  '90.  He  also  wrote  and  compiled  a  volume 
of  hymns  for  the  Universalist  church,  and  a  life  of  Com 
modore  John  Manley,  of  the  revolutionary  service,  for 
the  publishing  of  which  proposals  were  issued,  and  that 
was  the  last  I  heard  of  it ;  and  wrote  and  delivered  a 
poem  on  the  Independence  of  America,  on  the  4th  of 
July,  1794,  which  I  heard,  and  recollect  the  following 
lines  at  its  commencement : 

"  The  daring  muse,  with  retrospective  eye, 

Throws  back  her  glance  to  that  auspicious  day, 

When  millions  sworn,  to  conquer  or  to  die, 
Roused,  as  a  lion,  panting  for  the  prey, 

And  rushing  headlong  to  the  fields  of  war, 

Rode,  vengeful  rode,  on  slaughter's  gore-besprinkled  car! 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  23 

Why  burnt  thus  fierce,  within  the  phrensied  soul, 

Undying  freedom's  life  enkindled  flame? 
Who  led  the  lightning,  bade  the  thunder  roll? 

What  God  like  power;  what  deathless  son  of  fame, 
Rent  the  dark  veil  of  ancient  days  in  twain, 
And  gave  to  Independence  Liberty's  loosed  reign  ? 
Say,  who  can  count  the  sum  of  untold  wrong, 

That  fired  to  rage  this  last  discovered  world  ? 
To  scenes  of  valor,  drove  the  impassioned  throng, 
And  the  hot  bolt  of  triscene  vengeance  hurled, 
At  the  proud  puppets  of  a  venal  throne, 
Whom  Eastern  lust,  of  haughtiest  rule,  had  blushed  to  own." 

"Are  there  no  Hampdens',  Pirns',  who  dare  to  rise? 

No  Marvel's  who  abhor  the  Danean  shower  ? 
Yes  !  Roman  patriots  crowd  these  western  skies, 

Who  scorn  the  scorpion  lash  of  Nimrod's  power!" 

This  is  all  that  I  recollect  in  order,  but  the  poem  con 
tained  the  names  of  all  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  beginning  with  New  Hampshire,  and  the 
leading  traits  in  their  characters. 

There  was  a  small  society  of  Methodists,  and  also  of 
Roman  Catholics  ;  the  latter  occupied  a  small  chapel  on 
School  street,  and  were  under  the  spiritual  direction  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Thayer. 

The  bench  and  bar  were  powerful  in  those  clays : 

on  the  former,  were  Dana,  himself  a  host ;  Paine  ;  Sum- 
ner,  afterwards  Governor  ;  Sullivan,  afterwards  Gover 
nor,  and  Sewell.  At  the  bar  was  the  "  giant  Parsons  ;f' 
not  from  his  size,  reader,  although,  he  was  a  large  man, 
but  from  his  mighty  mind  !  There  were  G.  R.  Minot, 
"  the  American  Sallust,"  who  wrote  the  history  of  Shay's 


24  RE  MINISCENCES     OF     THE 

Rebellion  ;  Samuel  Dexter,  one  of  the  most  profound 
reasoners  that  ever  stood  up  in  a  court  of  justice  ;  Fisher 
Ames,  whose  speech  in  Congress,  upon  Jay's  treaty,  was 
never  equalled,  except  by  Sheridan  on  the  trial  of  War 
ren  Hastings ;  Rufus  Gray  Emory  ;  Harrison  G.  Otis, 
who  was  both  a  graceful  and  eloquent  speaker ;  and 
occasionally,  Laban  Wheaton,  of  Norton,  who,  to  an 
ordinary  face,  joined  a  great  mind  and  a  good  heart ; 
with  numbers  of  others  of  less  note. 

Of  the  medical  profession  those  most  conspicuous  were 
Warren,  Dexter,  Lloyd,  Rand,  Danforth,  and  from  '95, 
Thomas ;  the  two  former  professors  in  the  Cambridge 
University.  I  could  relate  a  number  of  anecdotes  of 
Danforth,  but  will  only  give  one.  In  the  Revolution  he 
leaned  to  the  British  side,  and  the  "  regulators"  consulted 
together  about  dressing  the  doctor  in  a  suit  of  home 
spun,  vulgularly  called,  tar  and  feathers  ;  but  it  was  over 
ruled,  and  the  doctor,  who  was  a  man  of  great  skill  in 
his  profession,  was  suffered  to  enjoy  his  political  opinions 
unmolested.  He  was  made  acquainted  with  the  facts, 
and  knew  to  whose  kind  intentions  he  came  nigh  being 
indebted  for  such  a  favor.  Long  after  the  war  was 
over,  ihis  friend  of  his  was  taken  very  ill,  and  sent  for 
him ;  he  went  and  attended  him  with  the  utmost  assidu 
ity  until  he  recovered.  A  few  days  after,  the  doctor 
met  him  "  on  change,"  when  he  presented  his  hand  to 
him ;  the  doctor  spurned  him,  saying,  "  do  you  think, 
you  scoundrel,  because  I  attended  you  professionally, 
that  I  will  suffer  you  to  offer  me  any  familiarity  ?"  —  and 
turned  upon  his  heel  and  left  him.  He  would  not  suffer 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  25 

any  of  his  patients  to  trifle  with  him;  not  even  a  lady. 
When  sent  for  he  attended  promptly,  prescribed  as  the 
case  required,  and  that  prescription  must  be  strictly  fol 
lowed,  or  not  send  for  him  again. 

Boston  had  few  literary  publications  in  those  days,  of 
which  I  speak.  There  were  Edes'  Boston  Gazette,  the 
oldest  paper  in  New  England,  once  or  twice  a  week,  I 
cannot  say  which.  The  Independent  Chronicle,  by 
Adams  &  Nurse,  Mondays  and  Thursdays  ;  and  the 
Centinel,  by  Benjamin  Russel,  Wednesdays  and  Satur 
days.  The  Massachusetts  Magazine,  monthly,  was  com 
menced  in  1789,  by  Thomas  &  Andrews,  and  sustained 
a  good  reputation  ;  in  '93  or  '94  Belknap  &  Young  tried 
"the  American  Apollo,"  but  it  did  not  succeed ;  in  1793 
or  4,  Young  &  Mins  established  the  Palladium,  on  Tues 
days  and  Fridays,  and  soon  after,  John  Russel,  brother 
of  Benjamin,  established  the  Boston  Gazette,  on  Mon 
days  and  Thursdays,  .\bout  this  time  Paine  got  up  the 
Federal  Orrery,  but  I  think  it  did  not  last  long.  Mrs. 
Murray  and  Mrs.  Morton  shone  in  the  periodical  litera 
ture  of  the  day  at  this  latter  period,  and  Paine,  then 
Thomas,  afterwards  Robert  Treat,  was  without  a  rival 
in  furnishing  Odes  and  Songs  for  all  occasions.  James 
Allen  was  a  fine  poet.  I  never  saw  but  one  of  his  pro 
ductions,  the  subject  of  which  was  our  separation  from 
the  mother  country.  It  abounded  with  the  fire  of  the 
flint,  and  at  the  same  time  breathed  the  most  conciliatory 
spirit ;  as  is  strikingly  exemplified  in  the  following  line : 

"  Say  that  you  have  wronged  us  and  our  mother  live." 
VOL.  I.  3 


26  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

Speaking  of  the  supplies  Britain  received  from  us  he 
says  — 

"  E'en  the  tall  mast,  that  bears  your  flag  on  high, 
Grew  in  our  soil,  and  ripened  in  our  sky." 

He  was  an  eccentric  genius  and  quite  in  the  vale  of 
years  when  I  first  saw  him.  His  works  are  well  worth 
preserving. 

Free  schools  were  established  in  Boston  about  the 
year  1620  Mid  became  the  fountain,  in  after  years,  which 
furnished  the  streams  of  education  to  every  hamlet  in 
New  England.  Besides  a  number  of  English,  there  was 
a  Latin  free  school,  where  youth  were  fitted  for  the 
University ;  I  well  remember  master  Hunt,  without 
having  the  same  good  reason  that  hundreds  of  others 
had. 

After  the  massacre  of  the  5th  of  March,  1770,  the 
Bostonians  turned  their  attention  to  the  organization  of 
volunteer  companies,  and  in  1792  there  were  the  Gover 
nor's  Life  Gua~:d,  (horsemen,)  the  Independent  Cadets, 
under  Col.  Bradford,  in  their  splendid  white  uniforms 
with,  red  facings  ;  the  Independent  Fusiliers,  under  Capt. 
Laughton,  in  rich  scarlet  uniform ;  also  Capt.  Wallach's 
Prussian  Blues  ;  but  the  pride  of  Boston,  in  the  military 
way,  was  "  The  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery"  I 
well  remember  that  upon  their  colors  and  drums  were 
conspicuously  displayed,  "  Incorporated  1638."  The 
first  Monday  in  this  month  (June,)  was  their  two  hun 
dredth  anniversary.  This  corps  form  a  military  school, 
being  kept  perfect  in  their  discipline,  and  the  officers  at 


LAST     SIXTY -FIVE     YEA  11  S.  27 

each  returning  anniversary  having  to  return  to  the  ranks, 
and  give  place  to  others  elected  in  their  stead.  The 
anniversary  election  of  this  company  used  to  be  the 
favorite  holiday.  The  scene  was  a  very  imposing  one 
on  parade,  when  the  officers  elect  marched  out  of  the 
ranks,  in  front  of  the  line,  and  were  received  by  those 
whose  term  had  expired,  who  exchanged  with  them  their 
badges  of  office,  and  receiving  from  them  their  muskets, 
returned  into  the  ranks  from  which  a  year  before,  they 
had  been  in  like  manner  drawn. 

The  first  Boston  Directory  was  published  by  John 
Norman,  in  1789,  and  had  the  following  title  page : 

"  The  Boston  Directory.  Containing,  A  List  of  Merchants,  Me 
chanics,  Traders,  and  others,  of  tiie  Town  of  Boston  ;  in  order  to 
enable  Strangers  to  find  the  Residence  of  any  Person.  To  which  is 
added,  Publick  Offices,  where,  and  by  whom  kept.  Barristers  and  At 
torneys  at  Law,  and  where  residing.  Physicians,  Surgeons,  and  their 
places  of  Abode.  President,  Directors,  days  and  hours  of  Business  at 
the  Bank.  Names  and  places  of  abode  of  all  the  Engine-men.  Illustra 
ted  with  a  PLAN  of  the  Town  of  Boston.  Boston;  Printed  and  sold 
by  JOHN  NORMAN,  at  OUccr's  Dock,  1789." 

What  Boston  was  at  that  time,  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  the  whole  number  of  names  was  under 
fifteen  hundred,  and  the  mode  of  recording  them  may  be 
judged  of  by  the  following  specimen. 

"  Pope  John,  school-master  and  surgeon,  particularly  a  curer  of  can 
cers  and  malignant  ulcers,  &c.  Vincent's  lane."  * 

"  Poterie  (Claude  de  la)  Roman  Catholic  priest,  vice-prefect,  and 
missionary  apostolic,  rector  of  the  church  in  South  Latin  School  street, 
dedicated  to  God  under  the  title  of  the  Holy  cross,  Oliver's  lane." 

*  I  well  knew  this  worthy  man  and  useful  citizen. 


28  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

Among  the  very  few  survivors  of  those  recorded  in 
the  Directory,  I  notice  the  names  of  Harrison  Gray  Otis 
and  George  R.  Minot,  whose  valuable  lives  are  still 
spared  to  their  fellow  citizens. 

In  1792  a  company  of  comedians  arrived  from  Lon 
don,  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Powell,  (a  better 
company  I  have  not  seen  since,)  and  commenced  their 
theatrical  season  in  a  stable  which  was  fitted  up  for  the 
purpose.  To  evade  the  statute  against  theatrical  per 
formances  they  called  the  plays  "  moral  Lectures? 
but  Hancock  was  Governor,  and  was  not  disposed  to 
suffer  such  barefaced  evasions  of  the  law.  They  were 
playing  the  "  moral  lecture"  of  Richard  the  Third,  one 
evening,  and  .had  proceeded  as  far  as  "  Bosworth  field," 
when  the  sheriff  came  unceremoniously  upon  the  stage, 
and  made  prisoner  of  the  hump-backed  tyrant.  Great 
uproar  followed,  and  the  portrait  of  Hancock  that  hung  in 
front  of  the  stage  box  was  taken  down  and  trodden  under 
foot.  The  next  night  every  man  went  armed  with  a 
bludgeon,  but  there  was  no  more  interference,  and  the 
next  season  a  splendid  theatre  was  built,  a  large  majori 
ty  of  the  town  being  in  favor  of  it. 


LAST     SIXTY -FIVE     YEARS.  29 

CHARLESTON,  S.  C.  IN  1795. 

Written  May  19,  1833. 

READER,  did  you  ever  take  a  voyage  to  sea?  If  you 
have,  you  felt  sensations  then  such  as  you  never  felt 
before,  nor  never  can  feel  again.  When  for  the  first 
time  we  behold 

"  One  wide  water  all  around  us, 
All  above  us  one  blue  sky," 

the  mind  looks  abroad  upon  the  boundless  prospect,  lost 
in  wonder  and  astonishment,  and  feels  a  reverence  for 
THE  AUTHOR  it  never  felt  before. 

Distances  have  become  so  shortened  by  the  improve 
ments  in  ship  building  and  navigation,  but  above  all,  by 
the  application  of  steam,  that  voyages  are  performed  in 
one  fourth  of  the  time  they  were  forty  or  fifty  years  ago ; 
at  that  time,  and  for  a  number  of  years  after,  a  man,  not 
a  seaman,  who  had  made  a  voyage  to  Europe,  was 
pointed  at  in  the  streets  as  a  curiosity  ;  with  some  such 
a  remark  as  this  —  "  there  goes  a  man  who  has  been  to 
London."  And  even  if  he  had  only  been  from  Boston 
to  Charleston,  S.  C.,  it  was  the  same  thing,  in  a  less 
degree.  Every  thing  we  meet  with  in  a  first  voyage, 
is  taken  as  a  mere  matter  of  course,  although  we  might 
"  follow  the  sea"  all  our  life  without  meeting  with  the 
like  again.  On  the  30th  of  May,  1795,  I  commenced 
my  first  voyage  —  leaving  Boston  and  bound  to  Charles 
ton  ;  in  the  evening,  having  just  passed  Nantucket  Shoals, 
I  was  setting  on  the  companion  way,  talking  with  an  old 


30  REMINISCENCES     OFT  HE 

weather-beaten  seaman,  whose  head  had  been  bleached 
in  the  storms  of  more  than  fifty  winters,  when  the  old 
tar,  after  a  quick  survey  of  the  clouds  that  were  gather 
ing,  fixed  his  eye  for  a  moment  upon  one,  apparently  a 
little  larger  than  a  pocket  handkerchief,  and  said  to  me, 
"  I  don't  like  the  appearance  of  yon  little  white  cloud." 
"  Why  ?"  I  asked.  "  It  will  prove  a  white  squall,  I  am 
afraid,"  was  his  reply.  The  words  were  scarcely  utter 
ed  ere  the  vessel  began  to  careen.  Captain  Oaks  sprung 
upon  deck  ;  I  started  for  the  cabin  and  landed  upon 
the  after  locker,  as  the  vessel  went  over  upon  her  beam 
ends ;  she  soon  righted  again,  and  I,  with  some  slight 
bruises,  turned  into  my  berth,  taking  it  for  granted  that 
a  vessel  being  thrown  upon  her  beam  ends,  was  an  every 
day  occurrence ;  but  I  have  since  passed  between  the 
East  and  the  South  a  dozen  times,  and  crossed  the  Atlan 
tic  as  many  more,  without  being  thrown  upon  beam 
ends,  or  seeing  but  one  white  squall.  I  was  the  only 
passenger,  and  passed  my  time  reading  the  "Life  of 
FranJdin"  and  conversing  with  the  patriot  veteran  who 
commanded  the  vessel,  Jonathan  Oaks ;  he  commanded 
a  sloop  of  war  in  the  Revolution,  and  abounded  in  infor 
mation  of  the  events  of  that  period  ;  he  was  a  most  ex 
cellent  man,  and  treated  me  with  the  utmost  kindness. 
Nothing  further  occurred,  on  the  passage,  worthy  of 
notice. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  we  arrived  at  Charleston;  the 
appearance  of  which  was  so  totally  different  from  Bos 
ton,  that  I  could  scarcely  realize  the  idea,  that  it  was  a 
part  of  the  American  Union,  and  under  the  same  govern- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  31 

ment.  The  city,  as  you  approach  it,  with  its  numerous 
wharves  crowded  with  shipping,  (bearing  the  flags  of  all 
nations)  and  covered  with  extensive  blocks  of  well  built 
ware-houses,  with  the  lofty  and  splendid  steeple  of  St. 
Michael's,  and  the  then  less  lofty  one  of  St.  Philip's, 
rising  in  the  back  ground,  with  the  dead  level  of  the  city, 
and  the  surrounding  country,  far  beyond  where  the  eye 
can  reach,  presents  to  the  view  of  the  New  Englander, 
or  the  European,  a  spectacle  new  and  interesting,  so 
totally  unlike  their  father  land,  that  their  curiosity  cannot 
fail  to  be  excited  by  it. 

GENNET,  the  first  minister  from  the  French  Republic 
to  the  United  States,  landed  in  Charleston,  where  he 
made  a  liberal  distribution  of  commissions  for  privateers, 
which  wrere  not  suffered  to  remain  useless,  as  might  be 
distinctly  seen,  by  the  number  of  Dutch  and  other  prize 
ships  that  were  then  laying  at  the  wharves.  Of  the  nu 
merous  vessels  that  crowded  this,  then  great  commercial 
mart,  scarcely  one  in  five  bore  the  "  stars  and  stripes." 
The  flags  of  Hamburg,  Bremen,  Altona  and  Lubeck, 
were  the  most  numerous  ;  while  the  British,  French, 
Dutch,  and  an  occasional  Spanish  or  Portuguese,  made 
up  the  variety.  A  large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  ex 
hibited  as  great  a  variety  in  their  language,  as  did  the 
shipping  in  their  colors.  There  were  entire  streets  in 
habited  by  the  French,  (Union  street,  for  instance,  with 
a  slight  sprinkling  of  Spanish  and  Portuguese,)  many  of 
whom  had  fled  from  the  massacre  of  St.  Domingo,  and 
others  were  brought  there  by  the  allurements  of  priva 
teering  ;  among  the  latter  was  Boutelle,  who  had  acquir- 


32  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

ed  great  wealth  by  his  numerous  captures.  Before  I 
arrived  there,  this  man  gave  a  public  entertainment,  of 
which  hundreds  partook,  and  at  which,  the  heads  were 
taken  from  the  wine  casks  placed  in  the  street  for  the 
use  of  the  multitude.  At  the  close  of  the  entertainment, 
a  procession  was  formed,  led  by  Boutelle,  (preceded  by 
a  band  of  music,)  arm  in  arm  with  Charles  Coatsworth 
Pinckney,  afterwards  ambassador  to  France,  a  major- 
general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  and  twice  the 
Federal  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  In  this  style  they 
marched  to  the  theatre. 

There  was  a  regular  established  Jacobin  Club  in 
Charleston,  at  this  period,  which  lasted  long  after  I  arri 
ved  there.  The  most  noisy  and  active  member  of  the 
club  was  a  Frenchman,  by  the  name  of  Duvernett,  be 
tween  sixty  and  seventy  years  of  age,  who  wore,  instead 
of  a  hat,  a  red  worsted  cap  upon  his  head,  and  could  be 
heard,  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  by  persons  walking  in 
Broad  street,  before  they  got  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
him,  promulgating  his  Jacobinical  doctrines,  in  a  style  of 
vociferation,  known  only  to  such  men  as  he  was,  and  the 
Billingsgate  fish-women  of  London.  About  this  time, 
Robert  Goodloe  Harper  came  from  the  interior  to  reside 
in  Charleston ;  he  fought  his  way  into  notice  by  a  duel 
with  one  of  the  Rutledges,  who,  I  believe,  escaped,  as 
several  of  them  have,  by  the  hollowness  of  their  backs, 
not  of  their  heads.  Harper  became  a  member,  and  I 
believe  Vice  President  of  the  club,  wearing  the  "bonnet 
rouge"  with  great  grace  and  dignity.  I  leave  my  read 
ers  to  judge  as  to  the  affinity  of  Jacobinism  with  federal- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  33 

ism.  The  great  John  Rutledge,  and  his  distinguished 
brother,  Edward,  were  both  living.  John,  who  had  been 
chosen  Dictator  in  the  Revolution,  was,  by  Washington, 
appointed  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States,  and  held 
one  court  in  Philadelphia,  before  it  was  discovered  that 
he  was  subject  to  fits  of  insanity.  Edward  succeeded 
Vanderhorst,  or  Charles  Pinckney,  as  Governor  of  the 
State,  and  died  in  that  high  office  ;  he  was  a  most  accom 
plished  gentleman,  and  eloquent  orator.  After  John's 
fits  of  insanity  had  increased  upon  him,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  State  Legislature,  upon  the  ground  that  if 
he  had  a  lucid  interval  of  a  day,  he  would  do  more  for 
the  general  good  in  that  period,  than  any  half  dozen  oth 
ers  could  do  during  the  session  ;  he  had  the  lucid  interval, 
and  did  do  it. 

At  the  period  I  have  been  speaking  of,  Charleston  was 
the  most  aristocratic  city  in  the  Union,  notwithstanding 
her  Jacobin  club,  with  her  red  liberty  caps,  and  fraternal 
hugs.  There  was  a  complete  nobility  in  every  thing  but 
the  title,  and  a  few  with  that  appendage  :  there  were 
Pierce  Butler,  cousin  of  the  Duke  of  Ormond,  Sir  John 
Nesbitt,  Baronet,  the  Rt.  Hon.  Richard  Berresford,  if  my 
memory  serves,  brother  of  Lord  Berresford,  with  some 
others  that  do  not  occur  to  me  at  this  moment ;  also  old 
lady  Mary  Middleton :  she  was  a  smart  business  lady, 
although  advanced  in  life ;  she  kept  her  own  accounts,  and 
attended  to  the  business  of  her  estates  personally.  The 
door  of  the  "St.  Cecelia  Society"  was  shut  to  the  plebian 
and  the  man  of  business,  with  the  two  exceptions  of  Adam 
Tunno,  king  of  the  Scotch,  and  William  Crafts,  vice-king 


34  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

of  the  Yankees,  under  their  legitimate  head,  Nathaniel 
Russel,  than  whom  there  was  no  better  man.  A  large 
portion  of  the  most  distinguished  families  of  those  days, 
were  descendants  of  the  French,  who  fled  at  the  revoca 
tion  of  the  edict  of  Nantz,  and  took  up  their  abode 
in  South  Carolina;  among  them  the  Hugers,  the  Hor- 
rys,  the  Porchers,  the  Managaults,  the  Priolcaus,  the 
Gailliards,  and  many  others.  The  political  profes 
sions  of  her  leading  men  in  those  days,  were  of  the 
Jefferson  school,  but  their  practice  was  aristocracy  com 
plete.  But  aristocracy  cannot  long  exist  without  heredi 
tary  estates  and  titles :  as  a  proof  of  it,  there  is  scarcely 
a  distinguished  man  in  their  whole  State  now,  who  has 
descended  from  any  of  those  aristocratic  families  who 
then  gave  tone  to  society,  and  laws  to  the  State.  The 
present  Mayor  of  Charleston,  the  Hon.  H.  L.  Pinckney, 
son  of  Charles,  is  a  striking  exception.  The  aristocracy 
of  wealth  and  family  have  been  compelled  to  give  way 
to  the  aristocracy  of  mind ;  all  her  most  distinguished 
men  of  the  present  day  are  self-made  ;  for  instance,  Cal- 
houn,  McDuffie,  Hayne,  Hamilton,  Pettigrew,  Duncan, 
Cheves,  Legare,  R.  Yeadon,  jr.  and  a  host  of  others, 
forming  all  together  an  aggregate  of  talent  not  equalled 
by  the  population  of  any  other  State  in  the  Union. 

The  aristocracy  I  have  alluded  to,  was  carried  to  that 
extent  that  it  was  held  disreputable  to  attend  to  business 
of  almost  any  kind ;  even  the  learned  professions  were 
admitted  into  the  front  rank  in  society  only  to  a  limited 
extent.  All  the  merchants,  with  a  very  few  exceptions, 
were  from  the  Eastern  States,  or  Europe.  The  com- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  35 

merce  of  Charleston  at  the  period  I  am  speaking  of,  far 
exceeded  any  thing  of  later  years,  as  her  exports  were 
great,  and  her  imports  were  equal  not  only  to  her  own 
consumption,  but  to  supply  a  large  portion  of  Georgia  on 
the  one  hand,  and  North  Carolina  on  the  other.     The 
forced  and  smuggling  trade  to  the  then  Spanish  and  Por 
tuguese  South  American  colonies,  in  British  manufac 
tures,  was  immense,  and  extremely  lucrative,  bringing  in 
return  large  quantities  of  specie,  and  innumerable  cargoes 
of  coffee,  cocoa,  and  sugar,  which  were  re-shipped  to 
Hamburg,  Bremen,  Amsterdam,  &c.     Many  of  the  mer 
chants  accumulated  large  fortunes,  which  enabled  them 
to  cope  with  the  wealthiest  planters  in  their  style  of  living. 
Every  thing  was  imported,  even  to  birch  twigs  for  sweep 
ing  vessels'  decks  !     The  great  staples  of  the  State  then, 
were  rice,  indigo,  and  tobacco.     Cotton  was  so  little 
known  and  cultivated,  that  Mr.  Jay,  in  his  famous  treaty, 
made  no  provision  for  its  introduction  into  England ;  a 
circumstance  which  caused  both  him  and  the  treaty  to 
be  spoken  of  with  the  most  marked  contempt  by  the 
citizens.     I  was  present  and  heard  the  pourings  out  of 
their  wrath  against  it  when  it  reached  Charleston  in  July, 
1795.     The  excitement  was  great :  a  meeting  was  called 
at  St.  Michael's  Church,  which  was  addressed  by  the 
Rutledges,  and  by  John  J.  Pringle.     In  the  midst  of  the 
proceedings,  Charles  Pinckney  arrived  from  the  country, 
and  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  in  a  mcst  tremendous  burst 
of  indignant  eloquence  against  the  treaty.     He  was  very 
great  at  a  philippic,  on  the  spur  of  the  occasion ;  besides 
he  was  an  excellent  political  writer ;  he  was  the  author 


36  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

of  the  different  series  of  numbers  signed  "  A  Republican" 
in  the  "City  Gazette,''  between  1810  and  1816.  Joseph 
Alston  wrote  "  The  Mountaineer"  during  the  same  peri 
od,  and  my  humble  self  the  numbers  of  "  Sidney"  "  Jun- 
ius?  and  " Hampden"  —  the  latter  pending  the  second 
election  of  Mr.  Madison.  It  is  a  fact  highly  creditable 
to  the  distinguished  men  of  South  Carolina,  that  in  all 
cases  of  emergency,  they  fly  to  the  aid  of  the  press,  not 
leaving  Editors,  as  in  most  places,  to  sustain  the  cause 
alone.  In  ail  such  cases,  the  periodical  press  of  South 
Carolina  pours  forth  a  torrent  of  intellect  no  where  else 
to  be  met  with.  Truth  compels  me  to  admit,  however, 
that  the  object  of  it  is  too  often  State,  at  the  expense  of 
National  politics. 

CONTINUATION   OF   MY   FIRST   REMINISCENCES   OF   CHARLESTON. 

Written  March  10,  1840. 

Charleston  had  a  number  of  charitable  institutions,  two 
of  which  were  unsurpassed  by  any  similar  institutions  in 
the  Union.  I  allude  to  the  Orphan  House,  and  South 
Carolina  Society.  The  Orphan  House  receives  within 
its  walls  all  destitute  orphans,  whether  male  or  female  ; 
feeds,  clothes,  and  educates  them  ;  and  when  arrived  at 
an  age  to  earn  their  own  living,  provides  suitable  places 
for  them  ;  still  having  an  eye  to  their  kind  treatment  and 
proper  proficiency  in  the  duties,  or  professions,  that  have 
been  assigned  them.  It  is  conducted  by  a  Board  of 
Commissioners,  who  not  only  know  their  duty,  but  do  it. 

The  South  Carolina  Society  is  solely  a  charitable  in 
stitution,  intended  to  provide  for  the  widows  and  children 
of  such  members  as  are  left  in  a  situation  to  ask  it.  If 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  37 

my  memory  is  correct,  the  allowance  is  three  hundred 
dollars  per  annum  to  widows,  and  their  children  are 
schooled  at  the  expense  of  the  society.  The  society  has 
large  funds  at  interest ;  and  a  Society  House,  in  which 
the  children  are  educated.  Then  there  is  the  Fellowship 
Society,  for  similar  purposes,  with  extensive  funds.  Be 
sides  these,  are  the  Saint  George's,  Saint  Andrew's, 
Saint  Patrick's,  German  Friendly,  and  Marine  Societies  ; 
several  of  which  possess  extensive  funds. 

Among  the  eminent  men  of  Charleston  in  those  days, 
besides  the  Rutledges  and  Pinckneys,  already  mentioned, 
were  generals  Moultrie  and  Gadsden.  Each  of  those 
veterans  of  the  Revolution  were,  I  should  think,  upwards 
of  seventy  when  I  first  saw  them.  Moultrie's  memoirs 
have  been  published  since  I  left  Charleston,  but  I  have  not 
seen  them.  He  was  the  hero  of  Fort  Moultrie,  which 
took  its  name  from  him.  His  gallant  and  successful  de 
fence  of  it  on  the  28th  of  June,  1 776,  had  he  done  nothing 
else,  would  have  handed  his  name  down  to  the  remotest 
posterity.  But  he  was  not  more  celebrated  for  his  bravery 
and  skill  in  war,  than  for  all  those  virtues  that  adorn  the 
domestic  circle  in  peace.  He  was  the  best  company  of 
any  man  I  ever  saw  of  his  years,  and  could  set  the  table 
in  a  roar  whenever  it  suited  him.  The  old  loved,  the 
young  venerated  and  respected  him.  He  was  a  great 
favorite  with  the  ladies,  whose  faithful  admirer  and  most 
chivalrous  defender  he  had  ever  been.  General  Gadsden 
was  his  senior.  I  saw  only  enough  of  him  to  learn  to  ap 
preciate  him  .as  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  a  patriotic 
and  most  enterprising  citizen.  Governor  Charles  Pinck- 

VOL.  I.  4 


88  REMINISCENCES      OP      THE 

ney  used  to  relate  the  following  excellent  anecdote  of  the 
venerable  patriot  with  great  good  humor,  although  it  was 
at  his  (Mr.  Pinckney's)  own  expense.  Mr.  Pinckney 
inherited  a  fortune :  and  on  coming  of  age  and  taking 
possession  of  it,  having  had  a  finished  education,  his  first 
object  was  to  get  elected  to  the  legislature,  which  then 
set  in  Charleston.  It  so  happened  that  his  overseer  was 
appointed  judge  of  the  election,  which  was  held  a  few 
miles  from  town.  The  day  was  very  stormy :  Mr. 
Pinckney  went  and  voted,  the  judge  voted,  and  none  else 
went  to  vote  ;  consequently  he  was  returned  duly  elected. 
When  the  legislature  met,  and  Mr.  Pinckney  had  quali 
fied,  general  Gadsden  rose  with  great  gravity,  ahJ  said, 
"  Mr.  Speaker,  I  congratulate  the  house  upon  having 
young  gentlemen  of  talents  and  fortune  come  among  us  ; 
and,  sir,  what  adds  greatly  to  the  interest  upon  this  occa 
sion,  I  understand  the  gentleman  has  the  unanimous  vote 
of  his  constituents."  This  put  tho  house  in  a  roar. 

On  the  bench  were  judges  Grimkie,  Bay,  Burke,  Bee, 
and  Waities ;  and  soon  after,  Johnson,  Trezevant,  Lee, 
and  Wild.  At  the  bar,  John  J.  Pringle,  attorney-general. 
a  man  of  great  power,  and  good  as  he  was  great,  Wm. 
Marshall,  J.  B.  Holmes,  Wm.  H.  De  Saussure,  and  Tim 
othy  Ford,  were  the  most  eminent.  Of  physicians,  David 
Ramsay,  the  historian,  Joseph  Ramsay,  Stevens,  Chan 
dler,  Wilson,  Finlay,  McCalla,  and  Barren,  were  distin 
guished.  At  the  head  of  the  clergy  was  the  Rt.  Rev. 
Bishop  Smith,  of  the  Episcopal  church  :  he  made  himself 
very  useful  by  keeping  the  best  school  in  the  city.  Of 
the  same  church  were  Doctors  Jenkins,  Purcel,  and 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  39 

Frost.  Of  the  Presbyterians  were  the  Rev.  Doctors 
Keith  and  Hollingshead :  they  preached  alternately  in 
the  same  churches.  I  listened  to  their  preaching  for  a 
number  of  years.  Then  there  was  the  Rev.  Doctor 
Buist,  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  church :  he  was  a  pro 
found  scholar,  and  greatly  promoted  the  cause  of  educa 
tion  by  teaching  a  school.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Furman,  of  the 
Baptist  church,  was  a  man  of  strong  mind,  of  great  piety, 
and  unblemished  character,  practising  what  he  preached. 
The  Methodists  had  at  that  early  day  of  their  church  in 
America,  become  quite  numerous,  having  three  churches. 
I  recollect  but  one  of  the  resident  ministers ;  his  name 
was  Hammet.  Either  Bishop  Coke,  or  Asbury  attended 
the  conferences.  With  the  former  I  was  intimately  ac 
quainted.  He  was  a  man  of  vast  biblical  learning,  and 
well  read  in  general  literature  ;  his  conversation  was  both 
agreeable  and  instructive.  He  was  held  in  high  estima 
tion.  Asbury  was  a  man  of  such  an  amiable  disposition, 
and  unobtrusive  piety  and  goodness,  that  it  was  impossi 
ble  to  know  and  not  to  respect  him.  The  last  I  shall 
notice  was  the  Rev.  Doctor  Gallaher,  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church.  He  was  a  man  of  vast  intellect,  as  his 
philosophical  essays  abundantly  prove.  I  will  mention 
one  fact  that  came  within  my  own  observation.  When 
I  was  a  member  of  the  Moot  Society,  he  was  elected 
our  President.  He  was  fond  of  a  glass  of  good  wine, 
and  sometimes  took  one  too  much :  this  happened  to  be 
the  case  the  first  time  he  met  the  society.  It  was  very 
full ;  we  conducted  him  to  the  chair,  he  lay  his  head 
down  upon  the  desk  before  him,  and,  as  we  supposed, 


40  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

went  to  sleep.  There  was  an  essay  to  be  read,  which 
took  half  an  hour ;  followed  by  a  debate  of  upwards  of 
two  hours.  The  question  was,  "  which  was  most  ruinous 
to  a  State,  war  or  luxury  ?"  There  were  two  disputants 
appointed  on  each  side  of  the  question,  and  as  many 
volunteered  as  pleased.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that 
Joseph  Alston  volunteered,  describing  the  horrors  of  war 
in  a  speech  of  great  eloquence  and  power.  During  the 
whole  time,  the  president  had  not  raised  his  head.  At 
the  close  of  the  speaking,  there  was  a  moment's  silence ; 
he  looked  up,  and  said,  "gentlemen,  have  you  all  done  ?" 
On  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  he  commenced 
with  the  essay,  pointed  out  its  faults  and  its  beauties,  and 
then  took  up  the  debate,  in  the  same  order  in  which  it 
had  been  spoken ;  and  having  gone  through  with  it,  sum 
med  up  the  whole  in  a  speech  of  about  twenty  minutes, 
and  decided  the  question ! 

There  were  many  great  commercial  houses  in  Charles 
ton  at  this  time.  The  most  conspicuous  were  the  fol 
lowing  :  Nathaniel  Russell,  Kirk  &  Lukens,  Mann  & 
Foltz,  James  &  Edwin  Gardiner,  Robert  Hazelhurst  & 
Co.,  Vos  &  Graves,  Whitfield  &  Brown,  Jennings  & 
Wooddrop,  Campbell,  Harvey  &  Co.,  J.  &  J.  Hargraves, 
Casper  C.  Schutt,  Charles  Banks  &  Co.,  Williamson  & 
Stoney,  John  Brownlee,  William  Turpin,  Allan,  Mason 
&  Ewing,  Frederick  Kohne,  William  &  James  Thayer, 
Tunno  &  Cox,  E.  Coffin,  Thomas  Tunno,  and  a  hundred 
others  of  minor  consideration.  Not  one  of  the  above 
was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  except  Mr.  Stoney ;  nor 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  41 

was  there  a  man  among  them,  who  took  an  active  part 
in  politics. 

I  have  noticed,  in  the  Charleston  papers  of  late  years, 
among  their  men  of  business,  numerous  names  who  are 
evidently  the  descendants  of  those  who  once  considered 
business  degrading,  but  now  see,  that  to  secure  to  them 
selves  the  benefits  of  that  commerce,  which  must  ever 
result  from  such  an  immense  source  of  agricultural  wealth, 
they  must  take  their  commercial  business  out  of  the  hands 
of  British  and  Eastern  agents,  and  attend  to  it  themselves. 

Such  was  Charleston  in  1795. 


SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

Written  November  2,  1837. 

IT  is  now  fifty  years  since  the  ship  Columbia,  Capt. 
Kendrick,  and  the  sloop  Washington,  of  only  sixty  tons 
burthen,  as  tender  to  the  ship,  were  fitted  out  at,  and 
sailed  from,  Boston,  on  a  voyage  of  trade  and  discovery 
round  the  world.  This  was  the  first  enterprise  of  the 
kind,  and  was  crowned  with  success.  There  are  circum 
stances  attending  it  that  are  fresh  in  my  memory,  and 
worthy  of  record.  When  the  expedition  arrived  on  the 
northwest  coast,  Capt.  Kendrick  turned  his  back  on  his 
country,  prevailed  on  a  number  of  seamen  to  join  him, 
took  possession  of  the  sloop  Washington,  and  refused  to 
return.  Capt.  Robert  Gray  then  took  command  of  the 

4* 


42  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

Columbia,  and  continued  the  voyage.  On  his  return,  he 
called  at  the  different  clusters  of  islands  in  the  south  seas, 
and  among  the  rest  at  the  Sandwich,  where,  as  well  as  in 
other  places,  he  met  with  the  most  friendly  attentions 
from  the  natives,  particularly  at  Owyhee,  where  their 
king  resided.  Such  was  the  confidence  placed  in  Capt. 
Gray,  both  by  king  and  people,  that  they  permitted  him 
to  bring  away  with  him  to  Boston,  their  crown  prince, 
fully  relying  on  his  promise  to  return  him  to  them.  The 
ship  was  absent  upwards  of  three  years,  and  had  not 
been  heard  from  for  a  large  portion  of  the  time,  when, 
in  the  summer  of  1790,  in  a  fine  afternoon,  I  had  just 
arrived  in  Boston,  from  Worcester,  when  a  strange  ship, 
bearing  the  stars  and  stripes  of  our  country,  arrived 
abreast  of  the  castle,  and  fired  a  national  salute,  which 
was  promptly  returned  by  that  fortress.  The  firing  was 
distinctly  heard  and  seen  from  Boston,  but  no  one  could 
imagine  what  ship  it  was,  bearing  our  country's  flag,  and 
doing  and  receiving  such  high  honor.  The  inhabitants 
were  all  in  motion,  and  going  to  the  long  wharf  by 
thousands ;  in  the  interim,  the  ship  was  recognized  and  the 
artillery  were  ordered  out.  As  she  came  to  anchor  off 
the  end  of  the  wharf,  the  delighted  multitude  rent  the 
air  with  joyful  acclamations,  while  salvos  of  artillery 
shook  the  neighboring  hills,  and  the  astonished  people 
hurried  into  the  city  to  join  in  the  general  joy.  The  ship 
having  returned  the  salute  of  the  city,  the  custom  house 
barge  was  manned,  when  the  venerable  General  Lincoln, 
collector  of  the  port,  with  the  owners  of  the  Columbia, 


LAST    SIXTY-FIVE    YEARS.  43 

repaired  on  board,  and  after  bidding  a  hearty  welcome 
to  Capt.  Gray  and  his  princely  passenger,  they  all  return 
ed  to  the  wharf  together,  when  the  air  again  rung  with 
loud  acclaim,  and  the  artillery  again  poured  forth  its 
thunder.  The  prince,  who  was  an  Apollo  in  personal 
symmetry  and  beauty,  was  dressed  in  a  helmet  of  the 
ancient  Roman  form,  covered  with  small  feathers  of  the 
most  beautiful  plumage,  which  glittered  in  the  sun,  while 
on  his  body  he  wore  a  close  dress,  not  visible,  except  the 
sleeve,  and,  over  it,  a  large  and  flowing  robe,  in  the  form 
of  the  toga,  made  of  cloth,  covered  with  feathers  precisely 
like  the  helmet.  In  this  splendid  costume,  he  took  the 
arm  of  Capt.  Gray,  and  a  procession  being  formed,  they 
marched  to  Governor  Hancock's,  who  had  sent  his  adju 
tant-general,  Donaldson,  to  bid  them  welcome.  After  a 
residence  of  some  months,  the  ship  was  refitted,  and  with 
the  same  commander  returned  the  prince  in  safety  to  his 
country  and  his  friends ;  from  thence  sprung  all  that 
friendly  intercourse  between  those  happy  islanders  and 
the  United  States,  to  whom  they  are  indebted  for  civili 
zation  and  the  useful  arts,  which  are  making  rapid  pro 
gress  among  them,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following 
extracts  from  their  papers,  which  brought  back  to  my 
recollection  these  reminiscences. 

FROM  THE  BALTIMORE  GAZETTE,  OCTOBER  27,  1837. 

We  have  received  a  file  of  the  Sandwich  Island  Ga 
zette,  from  the  7th  January  to  the  llth  of  March  inclu 
sive —  it  is  published  at  Honolulu,  Oahu,  printed  in  the 
English  language,  and  is  quite  an  interesting  little  paper. 


44  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

One  of  the  numbers  wears  the  habiliments  of  mourning 
in  consequence  of  the  demise  of  the  princess  Harieta 
Nathienaina,  daughter  of  the  reigning  king.  Her  remains 
were  not  interred  until  several  weeks  after  her  decease, 
so  great  was  the  king's  attachment  for  his  daughter,  that 
he  was  unwilling  to  have  her  removed  from  his  presence 
until  necessity  compelled  the  separation.  The  funeral 
ceremonies  were  conducted  with  great  pomp  —  the  Brit 
ish  and  American  consuls  were  present  on  the  occasion. 
The  papers  do  not  contain  any  thing  of  moment ;  we 
however  glean  a  few  items  from  them,  which  may  inter 
est  some  of  our  readers.  One  of  the  numbers  contains 
a  list  of  the  foreign  arrivals  at  Oahu  during  the  year 
1836,  from  which  it  appears  that  there  were  110  arrivals, 
71  being  from  the  U.  States,  and  15  from  Great  Britain. 
The  shipping  list  says,  "  Fifty-two  whale  ships  arrived 
during  the  last  season,  having  on  board  69,640  barrels 
of  oil.  Forty-eight  of  the  vessels  cruised  on  Japan,  and 
took  26,845  barrels,  or  about  559  barrels  to  each  vessel." 

The  vessels  included  in  these  estimates  are  vessels  of 
war,  merchant,  whaling,  sealing,  shelling,  and  other  ves 
sels,  employed  in  different  parts  of  the  Pacific  ;  they  visit 
those  islands  for  the  various  purposes  of  commerce,  to 
dispose  of  their  cargoes,  to  refit,  refresh,  &c.  The  total 
number  of  tons  of  the  shipping  is  stated  to  be  about  33,050. 

In  speaking  of  money,  the  editor  remarks  —  "A  Caro- 
lus  of  Rising  Sun  is  so  seldom  seen  now,  that  the  doctors 
use  them  for  '  panaceas '  to  cure  their  patients  —  the 
mere  sight  of  one  being  sufficient  to  raise  a  person  far 
gone  in  consumption." 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  45 

What  will  some  of  the  editors  that  have  been  croaking 
about  large  vegetables,  think  of  the  yam  described  in  the 
following  paragraph  from  the  Sandwich  Island  paper  ? 

Mammoth  Yam.  —  We  are  informed  by  a  gentleman 
who  some  time  since  visited  Tougatabo,  that  he  there 
saw  a  yam,  which,  from  a  careful  examination,  he  judged 
would  weigh  about  a  ton !  This  vegetable  monster  had 
been  growing  twelve  years,  on  a  spot  of  ground  called 
tabud,  from  the  circumstance  of  a  chief  of  high  rank  being 
killed  on  the  spot.  The  captain  of  a  whale  ship  obtained 
permission  to  take  it  to  his  vessel,  but  being  interdicted 
from  breaking  it  up  on  shore,  he  was  unable  to  remove  it. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  following,  that  the  Sandwich 
Islanders  are  not  exempt  from  the  attack  of  a  disease 
well  known  in  our  climate. 

Influenza. —  Oar  village  has  been  rudely  visited  by 
the  influenza ;  lately  this  ugly  complaint  is  quite  out  of 
place  in  our  delightful  climate.  Sneezing,  coughing, 
headache,  hoarseness,  and  the  other  attendant  evils,  are 
as  plenty  as  blackberries. 


46  REMINISCENCES      OP      THE 

DEDHAM,  BOSTON,  &c.  IN  1798. 

Written  February  2,  1839. 

I  spent  the  summer  of  1798  at  Dedham  and  its  vicinity. 
I  arrived  early  in  June,  and  took  lodgings  at  Gay's  tav 
ern,  eleven  miles  from  Boston  by  the  old  road.     Dedham 
was  then  a  very  pleasant  village,  and  the  permanent 
residence  of  a  number  of  genteel  families,  which  number 
was  greatly  increased  by  the  breaking  out  of  the  yellow 
fever  in  Boston  in  July,  that  driving  a  great  many  families 
out  of  the  town,  not  only  to  Dedham,  but  into  all  the 
neighboring  towns  and  villages.     Among  the  resident 
families  of  Dedham,  were  Fisher  Ames,  and  his  elder  bro 
ther,  Dr.  Ames ;  their  venerable  mother  was  still  living, 
although  at  a  great  age,  in  fine  health  and  spirits,  near  to 
them,  and  in  the  house  in  which  they  were  born.     Fisher 
Ames  was  a  distinguished  member,  not  a  leader,  of  the 
Essex  Junto.     He  lived  in  a  genteel  modern  mansion, 
which  he  built  soon  after  his  marriage  with  Miss  Wor- 
thirigton,  of  Springfield,  between  and  nearly  equi-distant 
from  his  mother  on  the  one  side,  and  his  brother  on  the 
other.     The  old  lady's  residence  was  of  great  antiquity, 
being  much  the  oldest  in  the  vicinage.     The  two  bro 
thers,  in  their  politics,  were  as  opposite  as  possible ;  the 
one,  Fisher,  being  a  black  cockade  federalist,  and  the  other 
a  republican  of  the  Jeffersonian  school.     This  circum 
stance  had  completely  severed  them  for  a  number  of 
years,  until  their  friends  interposed,  and  brought  them 
together  again,  on  the  express  condition  that   neither 
should  talk  politics  in  the  presence  of  the  other.     There 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  47 

were  also  other  resident  families  of  the  first  respectability, 
among  whom  I  recollect  Mr.  Wakefield's,  the  brother  of 
the  celebrated  Gilbert  Wakefield,  and  Mr.  Grew's,  both 
of  whom  fled  from  England  with  Priestly  and  Cooper, 
soon  after  the  Birmingham  riots,  in  which  Priestly  lost 
many  of  his  invaluable  manuscripts  and  library.  There 
were  also  Mrs.  Hodgdon,  afterwards  Mrs.  Stackpole, 
the  young  widow  of  the  old  State  treasurer,  Alexander 
Hodgdoa,  Esq.,  John  Lathrop,  Esq.,  a  man  of  fine  talents, 
the  son  of  the  Rev.  Doctor  Lathrop,  and  his  accomplished 
lady,  previously  Miss  Anna  Pierce.  These,  with  those 
who  fled  from  the  pestilence  in  Boston,  formed  as  pleasant 
a  social  and  intellectual  society  as  was  to  be  met  with  in 
Boston,  or  elsewhere  ;  add  to  whom,  there  were  in  less 
than  two  miles  distance,  the  Spragues,  with  the  immense 
estate  left  them  by  their  grandfather  a  short  time  before, 
and  the  Misses  Fales,  one  of  whom  was  afterwards  mur 
dered  by  Fairbanks,  who  expiated  his  crime  upon  a 
scaffold. 

At  a  gathering  one  evening,  Mr.  Ames  proposed  there 
should  be  a  fishing  party,  including  the  ladies,  and  prepa 
ration  being  made,  by  getting  up  a  collation  for  the  occa 
sion,  a  day  or  two  after,  some  thirty  or  forty  of  us  repair 
ed  to  the  place  appointed,  in  a  beautiful  grove,  near  the 
bank  of  the  river,  where  some  amused  themselves  in 
fishing,  others  in  waiting  upon  the  ladies,  and  others 
again,  in  strolling  through  the  groves,  until  the  usual  hour 
of  dinner  arrived,  when  the  cloth  was  spread  upon  the 
green  turf,  and  a  bountiful  collation  soon  served  upon  it, 
to  which  the  beauty  of  the  surrounding  scenery  —  the 


48  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

wholesome  exercise  that  preceded  it  —  the  delightful 
coolness  of  the  air  in  the  shade  of  a  clump  of  venerable 
oaks  —  but  above  all,  the  presence  of  a  number  of  beau 
tiful  and  intelligent  ladies,  gave  a  zest  to  the  entertain 
ment  which  I  think  can  scarcely  be  forgotten  by  the 
participants  in  the  scene. 

After  dinner  some  set  and  conversed,  while  others 
promenaded  through  the  groves ;  among  the  latter  was 
a  sprightly  and  noble  looking  widow,  and  one  of  her 
numerous  admirers,  a  young  gentleman,  a  native  of  Ded- 
ham,  who  lived  in  Fayetteville,  N.  C.,  but  was  then  on  a 
visit  to  his  parents.  Having  arrived  at  a  spot  of  uncom 
mon  beauty,  a  gentleman  present,  who  was  a  magistrate, 
proposed  that  there  should  be  a  wedding,  when  the  lady 
and  gentleman  already  alluded  to,  stood  up  together  and 
were  married  agreeably  to  the  laws  of  the  State  in  which 
they  were.  It  was  not  until  the  ceremony  was  com 
pleted,  that  it  occurred  to  any  one  present,  that  the  gen 
tleman  who  performed  it,  was  legally  authorized  so  to  do. 
This  put  a  new  face  upon  the  whole  matter  ;  while  some 
enjoyed  the  joke,  others  looked  grave,  and  began  to  think 
it  was  no  joke  ;  but,  the  gentleman  was  a  gentleman,  and 
at  once  relieved  the  lady  from  all  the  consequences  in 
which,  in  a  thoughtless  moment,  she  had  involved  her 
self,  although  in  doing  so,  I  know,  from  his  own  lips,  he 
sacrificed  his  own  feelings.  Before  evening  set  in  all 
returned  to  Dedham,  well  pleased  with  the  pleasures  of 

the  day. 

My  elder  brother  was  then  an  eminent  physician  in 
Boston,  which  place  I  visited  two  or  three  times  a  week, 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  49 

having  no  apprehensions  of  danger  from  the  disease,  as 
I  had  already  gone  through  it  in  Charleston,  three  years 
before,  having  it  as  bad  as  any  one  could  have  it,  and 
live.  The  town  was,  of  course,  to  a  great  degree,  de 
serted  and  dull.  The  yellow  fever  which  broke  out  on 
Goddard's  wharf,  had  its  origin  in  the  decomposition  of 
a  quantity  of  codfish,  in  one  of  the  stores  on  the  wharf, 
and  upwards  of  two  hundred,  in  the  course  of  the  season, 
fell  victims  to  it.  I  purchased  a  fine  saddle  horse  at 
auction  one  day,  and  took  him  out  to  Dedham,  from 
whence  I  made  excursions  to  the  distance  of  ten  to 
twenty  miles  round  the  country.  In  one  of  my  morning 
rides,  I  went  to  Braintree,  and  fell  in  with  his  excellency 
John  Adams,  then  President  of  the  United  States  ;  he 
was  taking  the  air  on  horseback,  in  a  jog  trot ;  I  rode 
up  beside  him  and  paid  my  respects  to  the  then  Chief 
Magistrate  of  our  country.  We  soon  got  into  conver 
sation,  which  in  the  first  instance,  turned  entirely  upon 
the  fever  raging  in  Boston.  It  then  turned  upon  politics, 
when  I  soon  discovered  he  wished  to  know  who  he  was 
conversing  with.  I  told  him  my  name  and  family,  when 
he  remarked,  "  Your  father  and  uncle  were  staunch 
whigs  in  the  Revolution  ;  I  wish  I  could  say  they  were 
so  now."  I  understood  him  perfectly,  as  I  knew  my 
uncle,  Isaiah  Thomas,  had  published  a  most  severe  pam 
phlet  against  him,  when  he  was  Vice  President,  entitled 

"  The  dangerous   Vice  P £."     It  was  immediately 

after  the  organization  of  the  government  under  the  Con- 

VOL.  i.  5 


50  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

stitution,  and  I  recollect  some  poetical  lines  it  contained, 
viz :  — 

"Gods  how  they'd  stare,  should  fickle  fortune  drop 
The  mushroon  lordlings  where  she  picked  them  up, 
In  tinker's,  cobler's,  *  or  book-binder's  t  shop." 

I  remarked  to  him  that  my  father  had  never  changed, 
and  had  taken  no  active  part  in  politics  since  the  Revolu 
tion,  which  he  admitted.  By  this  time  we  had  returned 
to  his  mansion,  when  he  invited  me  in,  but  as  we  were 
antipodes  in  politics,  I  declined  the  invitation,  and  passed 
on  to  General  Badlam's,  in  Dorchester,  where  I  passed 
an  hour  or  two  with  his  charming  daughters,  and  return 
ed  to  Dedharn  to  dinner. 

On  the  fourth  of  July,  Mr.  Lathrop,  before  mentioned, 
delivered  an  oration,  which  contained  some  splendid 
periods :  I  remember  the  first  one  in  his  exordium ;  it 
was  in  these  words :  "  From  the  turret  crowned  palace 
of  the  monarch,  to  the  grove  sheltered  cottage  of  the 
humble  peasant;  from  the  highest  sphere  in  supreme 
dominion,  to  the  lowest  grade  in  the  family  of  man,  inde 
pendence  is  a  blessing  most  valued,  most  dear." 

In  August,  or  September,  the  court  set  at  Dedham, 
and  the  town  became  excessively  crowded.  The  great 
Spraguc  cause  was  to  be  tried,  in  which,  if  my  memory 
serves,  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  dollars  were 
depending.  The  counsel  engaged,  were  probably  the 
most  powerful  that  ever  were  engaged  in  one  cause,  in 

*John  Adams'  father  is  said  to  have  been  a  shoe-maker, 
t  General  Knox,   then  Secretary  of  War,  was  originally  a  book 
binder. 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  51 

this,  or  any  other  country.  When  I  name  them,  I  think 
that  all  who  knew  them,  will  admit  the  truth  of  my 
remark.  There  were  Theophilus  Parsons,  Samuel  Dex 
ter,  Fisher  Ames,  Laban  Wheaton,  George  Richards 
Minot,  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  Rufus  Gray  Amory,  and 

Harrington.     I  was  then  reading  law  under  the 

direction  of  the  late  Judge  Johnson,  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court,  and  the  town  being  so  full,  my  hostess 
requested  me  to  take  some  of  the  gentlemen  into  my 
rooms.  To  this  I  made  no  objection,  provided  I  made 
my  own  selection.  I  did  so — and  took  Messrs.  Dexter, 
Wheaton  and  Harrington.  We  had  a  parlor  and  bed 
room,  in  the  former  of  which  we  ate,  and  in  the  latter, 
all  of  us  slept ;  and  although  we  retired  at  a  seasonable 
hour,  it  was  one  or  two  in  the  morning,  before  we  slept, 
particularly  if  Mr.  Dexter  was  in  the  vein ;  for  he 
abounded  in  anecdote,  and  while  he  talked,  none  could, 
or  wished  to  sleep.  Among  others,  he  related  an  anec 
dote  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts,  which  was 
alike  celebrated  both  for  its  talent  and  dignity.  The 
court  met  at  Springfield,  and  Chief  Justice  Dana  being 
unwell,  was  not  in  attendance,  and  consequently  Judge 
Paine,  the  next  in  seniority,  presided.  He  was  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  a 
man  of  the  most  unbending  integrity,  both  moral  and 
political.  A  number  of  gentlemen  of  Hartford,  Con 
necticut,  who  had  often  heard  the  court  spoken  of, 
mounted  their  horses,  and  rode  over  to  Springfield,  to 
witness  the  proceedings.  The  first  cause  upon  the 
docket,  (and  the  last,  we  suspect,  of  the  kind,  tried  in  the 


52  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

United  States)  was  an  indictment  for  lascivious  conduct. 
The  first  witness  called  upon  the  stand  was  a  "  New- 
light"  preacher,  who,  when  questioned,  felt  a  delicacy 
in  answering.  The  Judge  told  him  to  speak  out.  He 
still  hesitated ;  he  was  told  again;  but  still  evaded  the 
answer  required.  The  Judge,  whose  temper  was  none 
of  the  mildest,  got  angry  and  threatened  to  commit  him; 
this  had  the  desired  effect,  and  the  answer  was  such,  as 
fully  to  satisfy  the  Connecticut  gentlemen  of  the  dignity 
of  the  court,  and  they  immediately  returned  home. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  court  at  Dedham.  Mr. 
Dexter  and  Mr.  Parsons  were  pitted  against  each  other. 
Mr.  Amory  had  hunted  up  all  the  authorities  and  placed 
a  mark  at  each.  Mr.  Dexter  requested  me  to  take  a 
seat  beside  him,  and  hand  him  the  authorities  as  he 
wanted  them,  which  afforded  me  the  best  possible  oppor 
tunity  of  hearing  every  word  that  escaped  the  lips  of  that 
great  man.  Placing  one  foot  upon  a  chair,  and  folding 
his  arms  across  his  breast,  he  began ;  and  such  a  con 
tinued  stream  of  reasoning,  without  noise,  and  without 
effort,  (it  was  like  pouring  oil  from  a  flask,)  as  he  poured 
out  for  four  hours,  I  never  heard  before,  or  since.  Mr. 
Parsons  made  several  attempts  to  interrupt  him.  At 
last,  Mr.  Dexter  turned  to  him  and  said,  "  Mr.  Parsons, 
if  you  have  an  overflow  of  wit,  have  the  goodness  to 
reserve  it  for  the  close  :  you  have  already  driven  several 
ideas  out  of  my  head."  The  Chief  Justice  remarked, 
"  never  mind,  Mr.  Dexter ;  if  he  should  deprive  you  of 
as  many  more,  you  would  still  have  enough  left  for  Mr. 
Parsons."  There  were  no  more  attempts  at  interruption. 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  53 

Mr.  Parsons'  style,  it  is  in  vain  for  me  to  attempt  to 
designate  by  any  other  appellation  than  a  sledge-hammer 
style,  beating  down  all  before  it  with  such  tremendous 
effect,  as  to  make  it  very  difficult  to  keep  in  view  even 
a  portion  of  what  had  been  said  by  those  who  had  pre 
ceded  him.  He  was  a  great  sloven  ;  wore  a  bandanna 
handkerchief  tied  carelessly  about  his  neck,  and  his  beard, 
and  his  shirt,  a  week  sometimes,  or  he  was  slandered ; 
but  if  I  were  to  judge  from  appearances,  there  was  more 
truth  than  poetry  in  it.  He  was  a  man  of  mighty  mind  ; 
and  as  long  ago  as  more  than  half  a  century,  he  was 
known  throughout  New  England  as  "  the  giant  of  the 
law." 

Mr.  Wheaton  was  a  graceless  speaker,  without  elo 
quence  in  matter  or  manner,  but  his  reasoning  powers 
were  only  second  to  Mr.  Dexter. 

Mr.  Otis  was  a  man  of  fine  face  and  perfect  symmetry 
of  person,  remarkably  neat  in  his  dress,  of  the  most  en 
gaging  manners,  an  eloquent  and  fascinating  speaker, 
though  not  a  profound  reasoner. 

Mr.  Ames  was  eloquence  personified ;  the  silvery 
tones  of  his  voice  fell  upon  the  ear,  like  strains  of  sweetest 
music ;  you  could  not  choose  but  listen  with  delight,  but 
when  he  had  finished,  the  effect  died  away  upon  your 
mind,  as  the  sound  had  done  upon  your  ear ;  the  impres 
sion  was  not  lasting ;  he  could  not  beat  it  into  you,  as 
Parsons,  Dexter  and  Wheaton  could. 

I  am  not  certain  that  Messrs.  Minot,  (the  American 
Sallust)  Amory,  and  Harrington,  spoke  on  the  occasion ; 

5* 


54  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

if  they  did,  it  has  escaped  my  memory :  they  were  all 
gentlemen  of  high  reputation. 

There  is  an  anecdote  of  Mr.  Ames  I  must  not  omit, 
although  it  caused  a  hearty  laugh  at  his  expense.  There 
lived  in  Dedham  a  laborer,  a  man  of  great  natural  wit, 
and  smartness  of  repartee,  by  the  name  of  Kingsley. 
He  had  a  great  dislike  to  Mr.  Ames,  and  never  let  pass 
an  opportunity  of  showing  it.  A  town  meeting  was  held, 
at  which  Mr.  Ames  made  an  able  and  eloquent  speech ; 
Kingsley  in  his  dirty  frock  and  trowsers,  had  taken  a  seat 
in  the  adjoining  pew;  and  no  sooner  had  Mr.  Ames 
finished,  than  he  rose  and  said,  "  Mr.  Moderator,  my 
brother  Ames'  eloquence  reminds  me  of  nothing  but  the 
shining  of  a  fire-fly,  which  gives  just  light  enough  to  show 
its  own  insignificance  ;"  and  down  he  sat,  having  thus  at 
a  blow,  by  exciting  the  risibles  of  the  audience,  destroyed 
all  the  effect  of  Mr.  Ames'  eloquence. 

In  August  or  September,  I  wrote  "  Sidney"  addressed 
to  President  Adams,  and  sent  it  to  the  post  office  in 
Boston,  directed  to  the  Independent  Chronicle,  published 
by  Adams  and  Rhodes,  who  never  knew  who  was  the 
author.  Two  days  after,  I  rode  into  Boston  and  found 
that  Sidney  was  published,  and  made  quite  a  stir  "  upon 
change ;"  and  I  was  not  a  little  flattered  to  learn  that 
it  was  attributed  to  the  celebrated  Doctor  Charles  Jarvis, 
who  declared  to  me  he  was  not  the  author,  nor  did  he 
know  who  was.  All  of  this  I  could  readily  believe,  as 
there  was  but  one  person,  besides  myself,  in  the  secret. 
Mr.  Russel  came  out  in  the  "  Centinel"  very  severe 
upon  the  Doctor ;  and  that  there  should  be  no  mistake  as 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  55 

to  who  he  took  for  the  author,  he  said,  "  The  calomel  and 
jallap  of  the  law  would  soon  be  administered  to  him." 
This  satisfied  me  that  they  had  no  suspicion  of  my  being1 
the  author.  The  sedition  law  was  then  in  the  full  tide 
of  successful  experiment,  and  I  had  no  particular  desire 
to  come  within  the  reach  of  its  tender  mercies,  which 
Matthew  Lyon  and  others  were  then  in  the  full  enjoy 
ment  of.  Adams  and  Rhodes  were  prosecuted  for  the 
publication,  and  Mr.  Adams  died  while  the  prosecution 
was  pending.  My  friend  to  whom  I  had  confided  the 
authorship,  could  not  keep  a  secret,  but  must  tell  it  to 
Doctor  Ames,  and  it  became  known  to  some  few  others. 
The  court  met  soon  after,  and  the  judge  gave  it  in  charge 
to  the  grand  jury;  and  so  far  as  he  had  been  able  to  get 
information  on  the  subject,  recommended  me  to  their 
particular  attention ;  but  it  was  too  late,  the  bird  had 
flown,  I  was  then  at  Newport,  on  my  way  to  Charleston. 

The  following  notice  of  the  above  is  from  the  "  Norfolk  Democrat," 
published  at  "  Dedham." 

"  Mr.  Thomas,  the  author  of  the  excellent  article,  in  another  column, 
headed  'Reminiscences  of  Dedham,'  is  well  remembered  by  many  of  our 
aged  and  substantial  citizens.  His  article  revives  in  their  minds  many 
pleasant  recollections  of  by-gone  days.  They  still  remember  the  gentle 
manly  deportment  of  Mr.  T.  while  a  resident  of  Dedham,  and  are  pleased 
to  learn  that  he  has  not  forgotten  them." 


56  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 


THE  LATE  JOHN  RANDOLPH. 

On  a  bright  sunny  morning,  early  in  February,  1796, 
might  have  been  seen  entering  my  book-store,  in  Charles 
ton,  South  Carolina,  a  fine  looking,  florid  complexioned 
old  gentleman,  with  hair  as  white  as  snow ;  which,  con 
trasted  with  his  complexion,  showed  him  to  have  been  a 
free  liver,  or  Ion  vivant,  of  the  first  order.  Along  with 
him  was  a  tall,  gauky-looking,  flaxen-haired  stripling, 
apparently  of  the  age  of  from  sixteen  to  eighteen,  with  a 
complexion  of  a  good  parchment  color,  beardless  chin, 
and  as  much  assumed  self-consequence  as  any  two-footed 
animal  I  ever  saw :  —  this  was  JOHN  RANDOLPH.  I 
handed  him  from  the  shelves  volume  after  volume,  which 
he  tumbled  carelessly  over  and  handed  back  again ;  at 
length  he  hit  upon  something  that  struck  his  fancy  —  my 
eye  happened  to  be  fixed  upon  his  face  at  the  moment, 
and  never  did  I  witness  so  sudden,  so  perfect  a  change 
of  human  countenance  ;  that  which  before  was  dull  and 
heavy,  in  a  moment  became  animated,  and  flashed 
with  the  brightest  beams  of  intellect :  he  stepped  up 
to  the  old  grey  headed  gentleman,  and,  giving  him  a 
thundering  slap  on  the  shoulder,  said,  "Jack,  look  at  this!" 
I  was  young  then,  but  I  never  can  forget  the  thought 
that  rushed  upon  my  mind  at  the  moment,  which  was, 
that  he  was  the  most  impudent  youth  I  ever  saw. 

He  had  come  to  Charleston  to  attend  the  races.  There 
was  then  living  in  Charleston  a  Scotch  baronet,  by  the 
name  of  Sir  John  Nesbit,  with  his  younger  brother, 


LAST     SIXTY -FIVE     YEARS.  57 

Alexander,  of  the  ancient  house  of  Nesbits,  of  Dean  Hall, 
some  fifteen  miles  from  Edinburgh.  Sir  John  was  a 
very  handsome  man,  and  as  "gallant,  gay  Lothario?  as 
could  be  found  in  the  city.  He  and  Randolph  became 
intimate,  which  led  to  a  banter  between  them  for  a  race, 
in  which  each  was  to  ride  his  own  horse.  The  race 
came  off  during  the  race  week,  and  Randolph  won  — 
some  of  the  ladies  exclaiming  at  the  time,  "  though  Mr. 
Randolph  had  won  the  race,  Sir  John  had  won  their 
hearts."  This  was  not  so  much  to  be  wondered  at,  when 
you  contrasted  the  elegant  form  and  graceful  style  of 
riding  of  the  baronet,  with  the  uncouth  and  awkward 
manner  of  his  competitor. 

Some  two  or  three  years  after  this  visit  to  Charleston, 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  congress,  and  such  was  still 
his  youthful  appearance,  that  when  he  appeared  at  the 
clerk's  table  to  qualify,  that  gentleman  could  not  refrain 
from  asking  him  his  age  :  the  answer  was  prompt,  if  not 
satisfactory,  —  "  ask  my  constituents,  sir,"  was  the  reply. 
John  Adams  was  then  President,  and  Mr.  Randolph  took 
a  decided  part  against  his  administration.  Congress  was 
sitting  in  Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  Adams'  "  hot  water  war 
with  France"  being  then  on  the  tapis,  the  latitude  Mr. 
Randolph  gave  his  tongue  in  debate,  occasioned  his  being 
assaulted  in  the  lobby  of  the  theatre,  by  an  officer  of  the 
army  or  navy,  I  do  not  recollect  which,  or  who  he  was ; 
but  Mr.  Randolph  made  a  formal  complaint,  which,  to 
the  best  of  my  memory,  met  with  but  a  cold  reception. 
Party  runs  high  enough  now,  and  much  too  high  for  the 


58  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

good  of  the  country ;  but  he  who  supposes  it  never  rose 
higher,  knows  nothing  of  the  period  to  which  I  allude. 

Among  the  members  of  congress  Mr.  Randolph  had 
but  few  personal  friends,  but  those  few  he  "  riveted  to 
his  heart  with  hooks  of  steel."  Among  them  was  the 
Hon.  Mr.  Bryan,  from  Georgia  ;  the  late  Governor  David 
R.  Williams,  of  South  Carolina,  and  the  still  later  venera 
ble  Nathaniel  Macon,  of  North  Carolina.  At  the  close 
of  a  session,  soon  after  the  removal  of  congress  to 
Washington,  the  former  of  these  gentlemen  (Mr.  Bryan) 
married  a  daughter  of  General  Foreman,  of  Maryland, 
and  with  her  and  her  sister,  spent  some  days  in  Charles 
ton,  when  on  their  way  to  his  estate  in  Georgia.  On 
this  occasion,  Mr.  Bryan  showed  me  a  letter  which  he  had 
just  received  from  Mr.  Randolph,  congratulating  him 
upon  his  marriage.  A  letter  of  more  beautiful  simplicity 
and  feeling,  I  never  read.  I  recollect  that,  while  the 
writer  dwelt  upon  the  happiness  and  advantages  to  be 
expected  from  a  wedded  life,  he  spoke  feelingly  of  never 
expecting  to  enjoy  them  himself. 

The  Yazoo  fraud,  a  greater  than  which  never  dis 
graced  the  annals  of  a  state  or  nation,  came  before  con 
gress  about  this  time.  I  am  acquainted  with  some  of 
the  nefarious  transactions  which  gave  rise  to  this  stupen 
dous  villainy.  In  1794,  a  number  of  men  in  Georgia, 
joined  by  some  in  South  Carolina,  calling  themselves  the 
Yazoo  company,  applied  to  the  legislature  of  Georgia 
in  1795,  for  a  grant  of  an  immense  tract  of  territory,  to 
which  she  had  no  right,  and  over  which  she  had  no  juris 
diction  :  but  the  men  who  formed  this  company  were  not 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  59 

to  be  easily  put  off,  and  a  title  from  some  legislature  was 
indispensable  to  the  success  of  their  scheme.    They  effect 
ed  by  bribery  the  accomplishment  of  their  object; — it 
became  a  matter  of  notoriety  that  the  whole,  or  nearly  the 
whole,  legislature  were  bribed  to  grant  the  title  asked 
for,  but  which  they  had  no  right  to  grant.     The  manner 
in  which  it  had  been  obtained,  was  bruited  in  the  news 
papers  of  the  day,  and  none  could  plead  ignorance.     The 
grant  being  thus  obtained,  agents  were  immediately  sent 
through  the  States,  to  dispose  of  the   "stolen  goods" 
They  visited  Boston,  where  a  company  was  immediately 
formed,  called  "  The  New  England  Mississippi  Land 
Company,"  who  purchased  to  the  extent  of  some  millions 
of  dollars  of  these  lands,  knowing  them  to  have  been 
fraudulently  obtained. 

I  was  in  Georgia  the  next  year,  1796,  when  the  new 
legislature,  who  had  been  elected  with  a  direct  view  to 
this  object,  having  assembled  at  the  seat  of  government, 
and  taking  the  necessary  preliminary  steps,  went  in  grand 
procession,  with  their  respective  officers  at  their  head, 
and  burnt,  by  the  hands  of  the  common  hangman,  the 
records  of  the  infamous  proceedings  of  their  immediate 
predecessors,  and  with  them  the  infamous  grant  itself. 

The  Yazoo  claim  was,  by  the  New  England  Missis 
sippi  Land  Company,  to  recover  from  congress  the  value 
of  the  lands  so  obtained ;  and  it  was  in  opposition  to  this 
application,  that  Mr.  Randolph  immortalized  himself,  in 
speeches  that  will  stand  "  the  test  of  time,  of  scrutiny,  and 
of  talent"  It  was  regularly  brought  forward  at  every 
session,  and  as  regularly  defeated  by  him.  The  late 


60  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

General  Wade  Hampton  and  O'Brien  Smith,  were  both 
elected  to  congress  with  a  sole  view  to  the  carrying 
through  this  unrighteous  measure ;  and  it  was  during  its 
discussion  one  day,  when  they  were  in  the  house,  that 
Mr.  Randolph  made  the  withering  remark,  which  rung 
through  the  Union  at  the  time.  Shaking  his  long,  lank 
finger  at  Mr.  Hampton,  he  exclaimed,  at  the  top  of  his 
voice,  "  Mr.  Speaker,  I  hope,  sir,  to  see  the  day  when  a 
Yazoo  claimant  and  a  villain,  will  be  synonymous  terms" 
On  the  evening  following,  Mr.  Hampton  bundled  up  his 
papers  and  waited  on  Mr.  Randolph,  whose  first  saluta 
tion  on  the  occasion  was,  "have  you  come  for  peace,  or 
for  war  ?  "  "  For  peace,"  was  the  reply,  "  or  I  should 
not  bring  these  papers."  In  an  evil  hour,  Mr.  Randolph 
was  left  out,  and  before  his  re-election  the  bill  was 
passed,  and  the  robbery  consummated,  to  the  amount  of 
five  millions  of  dollars  —  an  event  which  never  could 
have  taken  place  whilst  he  had  a  seat  in  that  house. 

Mr.  Randolph  was  always  eccentric,  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life,  at  times,  insane.  I  witnessed  an  instance 
of  it  in  Baltimore,  in  the  spring  of  1820,  when  he  rode 
in  an  open  chair,  with  a  double  barrel  gun  beside  him,  to 
make  a  morning  call,  and  made  his  faithful  Juba  take  the 
gun  into  the  house  after  him. 

A  few  days  after,  he  took  passage  on  a  steamboat,  at 
Baltimore,  for  Norfolk :  here  his  insanity  showed  itself  in 
a  manner  none  could  doubt.  There  was  a  French  gen 
tleman  passenger  on  board,  to  whom  he  took  a  great 
dislike,  and  calling  for  his  gun,  he  took  possession  of  the 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  61 

cabin  door,  and  would  not  allow  the  passenger,  who  was 
on  deck,  to  re-enter  the  cabin. 

His  insanity  at  this  time  was  known,  and  spoken  of, 
by  many.  No  man  of  a  great  and  sane  mind,  such  as  Mr. 
Randolph's  had  been,  could,  while  in  a  sane  state,  be 
guilty  of  such  conduct  as  occasionally  marked  his  course 
during  his  short  embassy  to  Russia. 

It  was  generally  understood  that  he  was  disappointed 
many  years  ago,  in  not  receiving  the  appointment  of 
minister  to  England  ;  and  that  from  this  disappointment, 
and  the  chagrin  consequent  upon  it,  sprung  all  those 
eccentricities  which  marked  his  erratic  course  in  after 
life.  This  was  his  misfortune,  not  his  fault. 

He  was  a  republican  in  theory,  but  an  aristocrat  in 
practice,  as  his  whole  life  abundantly  proved.  He  pos 
sessed  a  mind  fertilized  by  every  stream  of  literature,  but 
the  use  he  made  of  his  great  acquirements,  were  rather 
calculated  to  make  enemies  than  friends ;  and  yet,  as  he 
once  said,  "  no  man  was  ever  blessed  with  such  constitu 
ents  "  —  a  fact,  which,  of  itself,  speaks  volumes  in  his 
praise.  If  he  originated  no  great  national  benefits,  nor 
did  no  great  positive  national  good,  he  prevented  many 
evils ;  and  in  doing  so,  he  became  the  benefactor  of  his 
country,  although  not  to  the  extent  he  otherwise  might 
have  been. 


VOL.  i. 


62  REMINISCENCESOFTHE 


JUDGE  EDANUS  BURKE,  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

Written  January  10,  1837. 

This  most  excellent  but  eccentric  man,  who  has  now 
been  dead  near  thirty  years,  was,  while  living,  the  delight 
of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Some  of  his  eccentricities 
have  been  brought  to  my  recollection,  by  reading  the 
following  anecdote  of  him  from  Davis*  Life  of  Burr: 
nothing  could  be  more  perfectly  in  character. 

AMUSING  INCIDENT. 

On  the  second  of  September,  178?,  an  affair  of  honor  took  place  be 
tween  the  celebrated  Aaron  Burr  and  Mr.  Church,  at  HoLoken.  Mr; 
Church  was  attended  by  Abijah  Hammond,  Esq.,  and  Colonel  Burr  by 
Judge  E  janus  Burke,  of  South  Carolina.  The  biographer  of  Burr  gives 
the  following  account  of  a  ludicrous  incident  which  occurred  on  the 
ground. 

"  Previous  to  leaving  the  city  of  New  York,  Col.  Burr  presented  to 
Judge  Burke  his  pistol-case.  He  explained  to  the  Judge  that  the  balls 
were  cast  intentionally  loo  small,  that  chamois  leather  was  cut  to  the 
proper  siz?  to  put  round  them,  but  that  the  leather  must  be  greased,  (for 
which  purpose  grease  was  placed  in  the  case,)  or  that  there  would  be  a 
difficult}-  in  getting  the  ball  home.  After  the  parties-  had  taken  their 
stand,  Colonel  Burr  noticed  the  Judge  hammering  the  ramrod  with  a 
stone,  and  immediately  suspected  the  cause.  When  the  pistol  was 
handed  him  by  his  frieuJ,  he  drew  the  ramrod,  and  ascertained  that  the 
ball  was  not  home,  and  so  informed  the  Judge :  to  which  Judge  Burke 
replied,  '  F  forgot  to  grease  the  leather;  but  you  see  he  is  ready,  don't 
keep  him  waiting;  just  Lake  a  crack  as  it  in,  and  Til  grease  the  next' — 
Colonel  Purr  bowed  courteously,  but  made  no  other  reply,  and  discharged 
his  piste  1  In  the  state  it  had  been  given  to  him.  The  anecdote  for  some 
time  afiei  wards  was  a  subject  of  merriment  among  those  who  had 
heard  it." 

There  was  a  worthy  old  Dutch  LJy,  by  the  name  of 
Van  Rhine,  who,  at  one  time,  lived  near  the  Court-house 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  63 

in  Charleston,  where  it  was  convenient  for  the  Judge  to 
leave  his  robe,  and  call  for  it  as  he  was  going  into  court. 
One  day  he  stepped  in  for  it  as  usual,  and  taking  down 
the  first  black  garment  that  met  his  eye,  he  tucked  it  un 
der  his  arm  and  walked  into  court,  ascended  the  bench, 
and  commenced  putting  it  on,  when,  to  the  great  amaze 
ment  of  all  present,  he  discovered  that  he  had  got  on  a 
lady's  petticoat.  Ladies  in  those  days  wore  pockets,  and 
the  Judge  had  slipped  the  petticoat  over  his  head,  and  got 
his  arms  through  the  pocket  holes,  before  he  discovered 
his  mistake ;  when,  with  that  gravity  which  seldom  for 
sook  him,  and  with  his  usual  asseveration,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Before  God,  I  have  got  on  Van  Rhine's  petticoat  f 

The  Judge  was  a  bachelor,  and  kept  house,  without 
any  one  about  him  but  his  servants.  He  occasionally 
had  some  friends  to  dine  with  him.  On  one  of  these 
occasions  he  had  invited  a  number,  who  all  were  punc 
tual  to  the  hour,  but  the  Judge  was  not  at  home,  neither 
was  there  any  appearance  of  dinner.  Some  time  had 
elapsed  before  the  Judge  made  his  appearance,  when 
looking  round  the  room  he  very  coolly  asked,  "  to  what 
happy  circumstance  am  I  indebted  for  the  honor  of  your 
company,  gentlemen  ?"  when  the  late  Peter  Freneau, 
Esq.,  made  answer,  "Judge,  you  invited  us  to  dine  with 
you."  "  Before  God,  so  I  did,"  said  the  Judge,  "  but  I  had 
forgotten  all  about  it."  He  then  deliberately  walked  out 
to  his  kitchen,  and  gave  orders,  and  in  about  two  hours  a 
most  excellent  dinner  was  smoking  upon  his  table.  In 
the  interim  he  had  so  entertained  us  from  his  vast  resour 
ces  of  information  and  anecdote,  that  the  delay  was  not 


64  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

noticed,  and  in  the  "  straw-colored  Madeira"  which  circu 
lated  freely  round  the  board,  all  the  forebodings  of  disap 
pointment  were  soon  fogotten. 

One  day  the  Judge  had  occasion  to  employ  a  brick 
layer  to  do  a  small  job ;  a  dispute  arose  between  them, 
and  the  Judge  knocked  him  down  with  a  brickbat.  Re 
lating  the  story  in  the  evening,  he  concluded  with  "  before 
God,  was  not  that  pretty  conduct  for  a  judge  ?  but  I 
plastered  his  head  with  a  ten  pound  note,  (there  was 
paper  medium  in  those  days.)  and  he  was  satisfied,  and 
would  have  been  glad  to  had  it  broken  once  a  week  on 
the  same  terms." 

Setting  on  the  trial  of  a  horse  thief,  (a  capital  offence 
in  South  Carolina,)  the  case  was  fully  proved,  as  was  the 
fact  that  the  prisoner,  when  he  committed  the  act,  had 
been  drinking  whiskey.  The  Judge,  who  could  not  bear 
the  idea  of  a  man's  life  being  put  in  competition  with  the 
value  of  a  tackey  not  worth  five  pounds,  in  his  charge  to 
the  jury,  told  them  that  "  the  citizen's  stealing  the  horse, 
was  owing  to  the  whiskey  he  had  been  drinking,"  and 
added,  "  wrhen  I  wras  a  boy,  I  sometimes  drank  whiskey, 
and  if  I  happened  to  take  a  drop  too  much,  I  always 
felt  a  great  inclination  to  steal."  The  prisoner  was 
acquitted. 

I  could  fill  a  volume  with  facts  in  the  life  of  this  singu 
lar  man,  to  whom  the  United  States  are  indebted  for 
having  defeated  the  hereditary  succession  of  the  "  Order 
of  Cincinnati."  The  Judge  wrote  a  pamphlet  on  this 
subject,  which,  for  terseness  and  strength  of  style,  was 
only  surpassed  by  Junius. 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  65 


MY  FIRST  VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE  IN  1800. 

Written  September  1,  1838 

I  sailed  from  Charleston,  (bound  to  Liverpool,  in  the 
month  of  June.)  in  an  old  worn  out  ship,  called  the  Mer 
cury,  Captain  Waldron.  The  demand  for  shipping  at 
that  time  was  great,  and  freights  were  enormous.  As 
high  as  six  pence  sterling  per  pound  was,  in  two  instan 
ces  paid  for  cotton.  Add  to  which,  there  was  a  great 
scarcity  of  bread  stuffs  in  England,  and  every  thing  that 
could  float  was  put  in  requisition  to  carry  out  our  sur 
plus  in  those  articles.  We  soon  discovered  that  our  ship 
leaked  very  badly ;  so  much  so,  that  it  took  fifteen  min 
utes  in  every  hour  to  keep  her  free.  This  made  very 
hard  duty  for  the  crew,  which  was  not  a  very  strong 
one  ;  for  seamen  were  as  scarce  as  ships.  Fortunate  ly 
the  winds  were  light  and  fair  —  nothing  remarkable  oc 
curred  until  we  arrived  on  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland, 
when,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  the  weather  was  so  cold  that 
the  only  way  we  could  make  ourselves  comfortable  was 
by  laying  in  bed.  As  is  not  unusual  on  the  banks,  the 
weather  was  very  thick  —  we  could  not  see  an  hundred 
yards  ahead.  The  next  morning,  just  at  day  light,  the 
mate,  whose  watch  it  was,  rushed  into  the  cabin,  ex 
claiming,  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Captain  Waldron, 
there  is  land  close  on  board  /"  The  Captain  was  on  deck 
in  a  moment,  and  I,  who  was  the  only  passenger,  was 
not  long  after  him.  To  be  close  on  shore,  when  by  our 
reckoning  we  should  be  near  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic, 

6* 


66  REMINISCENCES     OFT  HE 

was  enough  to  alarm  the  stoutest  heart,  and  every  soul 
appeared  on  deck  in  a  minute.  It  was  now  the  twilight 
of  dawn,  and  the  only  object  at  all  visible,  was  a  moun 
tain  hanging  apparently  over  us  —  not  of  earth,  or  of 
rocks,  but  very  much  resembling  the  latter  —  a  mountain 
of  ice  ;  besides  which,  as  the  fog  cleared  away,  we  found 
ourselves  surrounded  by  floating  islands  of  the  same  ma 
terial  ;  so  that  it  was  luff,  or  bear  away,  all  day,  to  keep 
from  running  foul  of  them.  Fortunately  for  us,  before 
sun  set  we  had  them  all  astern,  with  a  clear  course  and 
fair  breeze.  Had  day  light  been  one  hour  later,  we 
should  all  inevitably  have  perished,  as  the  immense  mass 
was  directly  in  our  course,  and  would  have  been  felt  as 
soon  as  seen  in  the  darkness  of  the  night.  Its  altitude 
was  upwards  of  two  hundred  feet.  How  many  vessels 
have  been  wrecked  and  lives  lost,  whose  fate  was  never 
known  or  heard  of,  by  coming  in  contact  with  those 
floating  mountains,  and  none  been  left  to  tell  the  horrid 
tale! 

With  our  regular  "pump  music"  one-fourth  of  the  time, 
night  and  day,  we  at  length  made  Cape  Clear  in  Ireland ; 
it  was  in  the  afternoon,  in  the  latter  part  of  J  uly.  A 
number,  of  about  thirty,  whales  passed  us  within  less 
than  one  hundred  feet  of  our  stern.  Fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes  later,  from  the  situation  they  were  in,  they  might 
have  done  us  much  mischief.  We  entered  the  Cape  that 
evening  —  the  next  day  the  wind  died  away,  and  when 
the  tide  ran  ebb  we  had  to  come  to  anchor  and  wait  for 
the  flood.  At  the  first  go  off,  we  lost  our  kedge  and 
hawser,  after  which  we  had  to  let,  go  the  best  bower, 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  67 

and  in  this  way  we  were  eight  days  "  tideing  it  up  to 
Liverpool,"  from  the  Cape.  On  the  sixth  day  we  took  a 
pilot  on  board.  On  the  forenoon  of  the  seventh,  a  ship, 
whose  drum  we  had  heard  for  three  or  four  nights  pre 
ceding,  made  her  appearance  on  our  weather  beam,  at 
about  a  mile  distance,  and  sent  her  compliments  to  us  in 
the  shape  of  an  eighteen  pound  shot  that  passed  through 
our  main-top  sail.  Capt.  Waldron  immediately  ordered 
it  to  be  backed,  and  in  that  position  to  await  further  intel 
ligence  from  the  stranger.  We  had  not  to  wait  long,  for, 
in  less  than  four  minutes,  there  came  another  shot  that 
passed  about  four  feet  over  the  head  of  the  man  at  the 
helm,  and  through  the  spanker.  Our  ship  was  then  hove 
to,  and  was  soon  boarded  from  our  new  acquaintance,  by 
a  boat  having  two  officers  and  six  men,  who  reported 
their  ship  "  the  sloop  of  war  Reynard,  Captain  Spicer,  on 
the  impress  service"  Our  crew  consisted  of  the  captain, 
two  mates,  eight  hands,  a  steward  and  cook.  Two  of 
the  hands  were  broken-down  discharged  English  seamen, 
one  of  whom  had  not  been  able  to  do  duty  for  a  month. 
The  lieutenant  took  command  of  our  ship,  ordered  the 
crew  aft,  and  proceeded  to  overhaul  them.  He  ordered 
into  the  boat  the  steward  and  cook,  both  slaves  belonging 
to  Charleston,  a  Portuguese  sailor,  and  Jonathan  Wil 
liams,  a  native  of  Maine ;  and  as  I  walked  on  one  side 
the  quarter-deck  while  they  had  possession  of  the  other, 
I  overheard  a  part  of  a  consultation  between  the  two  offi 
cers,  the  subject  of  which  was,  whether  they  should  not 
press  me  with  the  others ;  and  I  believe  I  was  indebted 
for  my  escape  to  my  unseamanlike  appearance  —  a  long 


68  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

coat  and  breeches.  They  then  left  us,  without  hands  to 
work  our  ship,  which  the  pilot  immediately  brought  to 
anchor,  and  sent  his  boat,  then  in  attendance,  up  to  Liv 
erpool,  to  procure  hands  for  that  purpose.  This  was  a 
busy  day  with  the  Reynard.  Head  winds  having  pre 
vailed  for  a  fortnight,  a  large  outward  bound  fleet  had 
collected,  consisting  of  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
sail,  more  than  one  hundred  of  which  were  Americans, 
and  all  armed,  this  being  just  at  the  close  of  "  John  Ad 
ams'  hot  water  war  with  France." 

Reynard  was  too  cunning  to  meddle  with  these  Yan 
kees,  who  had  all  arranged  themselves  under  the  com 
mand  of  captain  King,  of  the  ship  Kingston,  of  Philadel 
phia,  whom  they  had  appointed  Commodore.  They 
would  have  been  ugly  customers  for  a  dozen  sloops  of 
war.  The  Kingston  had  two  and  twenty  guns,  and  the 
others  from  six  to  sixteen  each.  These  ships  had  all 
taken  out  cargoes  of  bread-stuffs.  Flour  then  sold  at 
eighteen  dollars  per  barrel ;  and  a  cargo  of  rye,  from 
New- York,  sold  on  arrival,  at  half  a  guinea  per  bushel. 
The  next  morning  a  boat  belonging  to  the  Reynard,  that 
had  lost  sight  of  her  in  the  night,  came  along  side  of  us, 
with  a  midshipman  and  four  hands,  and  requested  to  be 
taken  to  Liverpool.  This  was  agreed  to,  provided  they, 
all  hands,  went  to  work  and  got  our  ship  under  way.  No 
sooner  said  than  done.  The  poor  fellows  were  glad  of 
the  chance,  as  they  had  been  rowing  all  night  to  overtake 
their  ship,  which  had  sent  them  to  board  some  "  North 
Countrymen,"  and  left  them  to  get  on  board  again  as 
they  could.  In  the  afternoon  we  got  up  to  town,  and 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  69 

• 

went  into  Queen's  dock,  which,  notwithstanding  the  fleet 
that  had  so  recently  left,  was  still  crowded  with  Ameri 
can  shipping,  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  sail  of  which 
hoisted  the  stars  and  stripes  on  our  nation's  birth-day, 
about  three  weeks  before. 

I  had  been  in  dock  but  a  few  minutes,  and  had  not 
yet  put  a  foot  on  shore,  when  the  Lieutenant  of  the 
Reynard  came  on  board  with  Williams,  to  get  the  wa 
ges  that  were  due  him,  which  Capt.  Waldron  paid,  after 
remonstrating  with  the  officer  on  the  injustice  of  their 
impressing  American  seamen.  I  took  part  in  this 
remonstrance,  and  a  warm  altercation  took  place  be 
tween  me  and  the  Lieutenant ;  but,  as  is  the  custom, 
might  overcame  right,  and  he  kept  his  man,  but  inform 
ed  me  they  had  discharged  the  other  three,  all  of  whom 
soon  after  came  on  board.  Capt.  Waldron  and  myself 
immediately  went  to  the  American  Consul,  and  entered 
a  protest  against  the  impressment  of  Williams  and  the 
detention  of  our  ship  —  all  of  which  was  of  no  avail,  as 
our  venerable  Consul  (Murray,)  told  us  at  the  time. 

I  now,  for  the  first  time,  had  foot  on  foreign  ground, 
but  having  taken  lodgings  at  Mere's  American  Hotel, 
every  body  and  thing  around  me,  was  American.  The 
Mercury  was  laden  with  cotton,  part  of  which  was  my 
property.  I  called  upon  my  consignees,  Strickland  & 
Holland,  who  advised  against  an  immediate  sale,  as  the 
article  was  on  the  rise  and  I  was  not  in  a  hurry.  Liver 
pool  at  this  period  was  a  very  ordinary,  dirty  town,  with 
little  but  its  commerce,  which  was  already  extensive,  to 
attract  the  attention  of  a  stranger.  There  was  the 


70  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

Atheneum,  with  a  tolerable  library,  to  which  strangers 
were  admitted  on  their  names  being  entered  daily  by 
one  of  the  proprietors.  Here  I  lounged  away  a  portion 
of  my  time.  The  Sunday  after  my  arrival,  I  rode  out 
to  Preston,  in  company  with  four  others,  and  saw  a  re 
view  of  volunteers  by  the  Earl  of  Derby,  the  same  who 
married  Miss  Farren,  the  actress.  His  Lordship  was 
then  the  owner  of  the  finest  horse  in  England,  the  cele 
brated  Sir  Peter.  On  our  making  known  to  him  that 
we  had  a  desire  to  see  the  noble  animal,  he  very  politely 
sent  one  of  his  aids  to  accompany  us  to  the  stables  for 
that  purpose.  On  our  return,  as  we  came  near  to  town, 
we  passed  a  great  number  of  well  dressed  people  walk 
ing,  when  our  attention  was  called  to  observe  a  very 
large,  handsome  black  man,  dressed  in  the  very  extreme 
of  elegance  and  fashion,  with  an  equally  well  dressed 
white  lady  hanging  on  each  arm.  This,  to  me,  who  was 
from  the  South,  wore  rather  a  singular  appearance  ; 
but  there  is  no  accounting  for  taste.  The  next  evening  I 
went  to  the  theatre,  where  I  had  just  got  seated,  when 
the  same  black  gentleman,  with  the  same  white  ladies, 
entered  the  stage  box  and  took  the  front  seat,  without 
apparently  exciting  the  attention  of  any  one  but  myself, 
any  more  than  would  any  other  persons. 

At  the  end  of  a  fortnight  I  took  bills  on  London  to  the 
probable  amount  of  my  cotton,  (still  unsold,)  which  cost 
seventeen  cents,  and  finally  sold  for  two  shillings  ster 
ling,  or  forty-four  cents.  The  market  was  not  then,  as 
now,  governed  by  the  rise,  or  fall,  of  a  farthing.  The 
amount  of  cotton  then  manufactured  in  England  was  not 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  71 

equal  to  that  now  manufactured  in  the  United  States,  by 
about  fifty  thousand  bales.  It  is  the  raising  of  this  great 
staple  which  has  made  the  United  States  what  they  are, 
and  the  manufacturing  of  it,  that  has  made  Great  Britain 
what  she  is. 

On  the  evening  of  the  10th  of  August,  I  took  leave  of 
my  Liverpool  friends,  and  departed  in  the  mail  coach  for 
London.  The  next  day  I  dined  at  Peeping  Tom's,  in 
Coventry :  the  sign  of  the  inn  was  the  figure  of  a  man 
peeping  out  of  a  half  opened  window,  the  very  same 
window  from  which  tradition,  if  not  history,  informs  us, 
Tom  gratified  his  wicked  curiosity,  contrary  to  the  regu 
lations,  in  that  case  made  and  provided,  when  Queen 
Margaret  took  her  ride.  The  farce  founded  on  this 
story  of  "  Peeping  Tom,"  is  one  of  the  most  amusing  in 
the  English  Drama,  when  well  performed.  Coventry  is 
a  very  ancient  town,  and  was  once  the  seat  of  empire, 
but  celebrated  for  little  in  modern  times  but  its  extensive 
ribbon  factories.  The  next  morning  I  entered  London 
through  Finsbury  square.  Having  made  myself  ac 
quainted  with  " Thornton's  History  of  London"  before 
I  left  home,  every  public  building  and  place  was  familiar 
to  me.  I  was  set  down  at  the  Swan  with  two  necks, 
Lad  Lane ;  when,  having  first  taken  a  nap,  and  break 
fasted,  I  went  to  the  Carolina  Coffee  House,  Burchen 
Lane,  Cornhill,  where  I  met  with  half  a  dozen  acquait- 
ances  whom  I  had  known  in  Charleston.  The  popula 
tion  of  London  then  was  little  over  a  million ;  it  is  now 
over  a  million  and  a  half.  The  object  of  my  visit  was 
to  purchase  books  for  my  establishment  in  Charleston, 


72  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

and  to  form  correspondents,  on  whom  I  could  depend  for 
future  supplies.  The  season  was  far  advanced ;  I  had 
no  time  to  lose  ;  a  friend  went  with  me  to  show  me  the 
location  of  the  eminent  publishers  ;  I  collected  their  cata 
logues,  and  having  devoted  the  night  to  looking  them 
over,  I  fixed  on  Vcrnor  fy  Hood's,  as  best  calculated  for 
my  purpose  ;  called  on  them  ;  showed  them  the  bill  I  had 
selected,  and  told  them  they  must  be  bound  and  shipped 
by  that  day  fortnight,  which  was  at  once  agreed  to.  I  then 
produced  my  bill  on  Baldero  &  Lushington,  and  stated 
thut  that  was  all  my  funds,  out  of  which  I  should  want 
a  few  guineas  for  pocket  money.  The  bill  had  not  been 
presented ;  Mr.  Hood  took  it,  and  returning  in  a  few 
minutes,  pronounced  it  as  good  as  gold.  At  the  end  of 
the  stipulated  fortnight,  I  was  presented  with  my  invoice 
and  a  bill  of  lading.  To  my  surprise,  the  invoice  ex 
ceeded  my  funds  by  three  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 
What  was  to  be  done  ?  I  had  not  brought  a  line  of  in 
troduction  to  any  one,  having  early  in  life  come  to  the 
determination  that  a  well  lined  pocket,  with  correct  con 
duct,  was  the  best  introduction  a  young  man  could  have; 
it  put  him  upon  his  own  energies,  if  he  had  any,  and  if 
he  had  none,  introductory  letters  would  not  give  him 
any  ;  not  but  that  there  are  times  when  they  are  useful. 
The  generous  Scotchman  (Mr.  Hood,)  entered  in  an  in 
stant  into  my  feelings,  and  said,  "  make  yourself  easy 
about  the  balance ;  pay  me  in  six  months  is  all  I  ask, 
and  if  you  will  take  a  thousand  pounds  more  upon  the 
same  terms,  they  shall  follow  you  in  the  next  ship  a 
fortnight  hence."  This  generous  offer  I  promptly  de- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  73 

clined.  *  The  next  morning  I  took  leave  of  my  friend 
Hood  and  his  amiable  family,  and  left  London  for  Charles 
ton,  having  been  there  just  fifteen  days,  during  which 
period  I  had  seen  more  of  what  was  worth  seeing,  in 
this  modern  Babylon,  than  many  who  had  lived  there  for 
years,  and  had  "  all  appliances  to  boot ;"  it  was  my 
business,  and  I  attended  to  it. 

There  is  one  trait  in  the  character  of  our  American 
Indians,  that  Americans  who  travel  might  profit  by ; 
that  is,  never  to  appear  to  be  surprised.  It  has  proved 
of  advantage  to  me  on  more  than  one  occasion.  There 
are  hundreds  of  sharpers  about  London  streets,  who  are 
always  on  the  look  out  for  strangers,  and  ^having  once 
discovered  them  they  seldom  lose  sight  of  them  until  they 
have,  at  least,  become  acquainted  with  their  pockets. 

We  had  a  long,  rough  passage  to  Charleston,  marked 
by  no  incident  worth  noting.  When  we  arrived  near  the 
city,  we  saw  a  ship  with  a  signal  for  sailing,  which  our 
pilot  irnformed  me  was  bound  for  Liverpool.  I  instantly 
determined  to  remit  by  that  ship,  and  being  placed  on 
shore,  I  hastened  to  Mr.  Schutt,  an  eminent  merchant, 
who  had  always  been  my  friend.  It  was  not  a  business 
of  five  minutes  to  procure  from  him  a  bill  for  five  hun 
dred  pounds,  which,  in  thirty  minutes  more  was  on  its 
way  for  Liverpool.  It  reached  London  in  thirty-five 

*  I  have  had  many  opportunities  since,  of  becoming  acquainted  with 
the  noble,  generous  confidence  of  British  merchants,  in  their  intercourse 
with  those  of  other  countries,  which  has  put  me  entirely  at  a  loss  to 
account  for  the  tremendous  phillippic  pronounced  against  them  by 
Burke,  when  speaking  of  them  in  the  House  of  Commons,  he  said: — 
"  Their  counting-house  is  their  church ;  their  desk  is  their  altar;  their 
ledger  is  iheir  bible,  and  their  money  is  their  God." 

VOL.  I.  7 


74  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

days,  and  was  at  my  credit,  overpaying  the  balance  I 
had  left  against  me,  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  This 
circumstance  gave  me  an  unlimited  credit  forever  after, 
not  o/>Iy  with  Vernor  &  Hood,  but  through  them, 
throughout  England  and  Scotland,  from  which  I  reaped 
great  benefit. 


PETER  FRENEAU. 

Written  September  22,  1838. 

THERE  have  been  hundreds  of  distinguished  men  who 
have  rendered  the  most  essential  services  to  their  coun 
try  at  different  times  and  in  different  places,  who  have 
been  suffered  to  sink  into  the  grave 

"  Unwept,  unhonored  and  unsung," 

except  perhaps  by  an  obituary  notice  of  a  few  lines, 
which  were  probably  no  sooner  read  than  forgotten.  It 
has  often  occurred  to  me,  that  if  a  portion  of  that  talent 
which  is  wasted,  and  worse  than  wasted,  a  great  part  of 
the  time,  in  party  political  abuse,  in  all  our  periodicals, 
from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  could  be  turned  to  the 
rescuing  from  oblivion  the  names  and  services  of  public 
benefactors,  who  have  been  permitted  to  sink  into  un 
honored  graves,  that  it  would  not  be  the  mere  rendering 
an  act  of  justice,  but  would  greatly  redound  to  the 
honor  and  character  of  our  country,  which  has  suffered, 
both  abroad  and  at  home,  by  the  vile  slanders  that  have 
been  cast  upon  men  of  all  parties,  by  men  of  all  other 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  75 

parties  differing  from  them  in  their  political  objects  and 
views. 

With  this  view  of  the  subject  strongly  impressed  upon 
my  mind,  I  shall  proceed  to  give  such  reminiscences  as 
occur  to  me  of  a  man,  who,  with  talent  fit  for  any  station 
in  our  country,  was  neither  assuming  nor  ambitious  :  that 
man  was  PETER  FRENCAU,  whose  name  I  have  placed 
at  the  head  of  this  article. 

Mr.  Freneau  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  brother 
of  Philip  Freneau,  a  poet  of  the  Revolution,  whose  revo 
lutionary  and  other  poems  were  published  in  two  volumes 
soon  after  the  peace.  When  I  went  to  reside  in  Charles 
ton,  in  1795,  I  found  Mr.  Freneau  there  editing  and  pub 
lishing  the  "  City  Gazette,"  in  company  with  a  Mr.  Paine : 
he  (Freneau)  had  previously  held  the  office  of  Secretary 
of  State.  There  were  then  but  two  papers  in  Charles 
ton,  and  but  three  in  the  State.  Those  in  Charleston 
were  the  above  mentioned,  and  the  "  State  Gazette"  by 
Timothy  &  Mason,  then  on  its  last  legs. 

Party  politics  ran  high  between  the  supporters  of 
Jefferson  on  the  one  hand,  and  John  Adams  on  the  other, 
and  Jay's  treaty  added  fuel  to  the  flame.  Freneau,  with 
his  "  City  Gazette,"  sustained  the  republican  party,  and 
ever  after  became  identified  with  it;  —  he  was  himself  a 
host.  The  federalists  were  then  in  the  ascendancy, 
(Vanderhorst  was  Governor,)  but  they  lost  it  at  the  next 
election,  and  Freneau's  Gazette  received  the  patronage 
of  both  the  state  and  city  governments,  to  which,  when 
Mr.  Jefferson  came  into  power,  was  added  the  general 
government,  and  so  continued  until  1818  or  1820. 


76  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

Mr.  Freneau  had,  at  an  early  period,  established  a 
weekly  paper  called  the  "  Carolina  Gazette"  which  was 
distinct  from  the  daily  "  City  Gazette,"  as  a  large  portion 
of  its  contents  was  written  exclusively  for  it,  and  was  not 
seen  by  the  readers  of  the  daily  paper.  This  paper, 
under  the  editorial  management  of  such  a  powerful 
writer  as  Freneau,  soon  obtained  a  controlling  influence 
in  the  State,  which  continued  and  increased  long  after  he 
ceased  to  have  any  control  over  it.  It  was  in  fact  a  com 
plete  "political  lever?  and  bore  that  cognomen  among 
those  who  knew,  or  felt  its  power. 

Mr.  Freneau's  style  of  writing  combined  the  beauty 
and  smoothness  of  Addison,  with  the  strength  and  sim 
plicity  of  Cobbett,  add  to  which  he  composed  with  the 
greatest  ease  and  facility,  seldom  making  an  erasure. — 
His  knowledge  of  languages  was  very  extensive  ;  he  had 
obtained  a  sufficiency  of  the  Hebrew  to  read  the  Old 
Testament  in  the  original,  and  of  the  Greek,  to  read  the 
New.  His  Latin  was  said  to  be  good  —  but  what  he 
took  most  delight  in,  was  the  living  languages.  His 
translations  of  the  French,  Spanish,  Portuguese  and  Ital 
ian  were  all  good,  but  his  French  was  unequalled.  As 
proof  of  it,  Napoleon  pronounced  his  (Freneau's)  trans 
lations  of  his  bulletins  to  be  the  only  correct  ones  —  of 
which  fact,  Berthier,  minister  of  war,  informed  Baron 
Fourcroy,  the  French  consul  general  at  Charleston,  who 
regularly  sent  the  translations  to  Paris.  When  I  suc 
ceeded  Freneau,  in  the  Gazette,  he  continued  his  transla 
tions  for  it  till  his  death. 

He  would  sometimes  entertain  his  friends  by  reading 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  77 

to  them  in  English,  from  the  famous  Paris  edition  of  Vol 
taire's  plays.  He  was  an  admirable  reader,  and  it  was  a 
great  treat  —  yet  with  this  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
French,  he  could  not  speak  it  so  as  to  be  distinctly  under 
stood.  His  reading  was  very  extensive  —  he  had  no 
family  but  his  servants,  and  after  he  sold  out  the  Gazette, 
which  was  about  four  years  before  his  death,  he  devoted 
by  far  the  larger  portion  of  his  time  to  books,  no  sooner 
entering  his  house  than  he  was  seated  with  one  in  his 
hand.  Voltaire,  Gibbon,  Hume,  Robertson,  Smollet, 
Cervantes,  Quivedo  and  Le  Sage,  were  his  favorite 
authors. 

Mr.  Freneau  could  never  say  no :  that  is,  when  asked 
for  money,  or  favors  —  if  he  had  the  former  he  gave  it  — 
if  the  latter  was  in  his  power,  he  granted  it.  Add  to 
which,  he  never  was  a  business  man,  and  what  made  it  still 
worse,  his  last  partner  (for  he  had  a  number  at  different 
times,)  wras  not  a  man  of  any  business  tact  whatever.  It 
is  not  therefore,  to  be  wondered  at,  that  his  monetary  af 
fairs,  which  had  been  very  flourishing  during  his  connec 
tion  with  Paine  ;  and  afterwards  with  David  R.  Williams; 
became  deeply  involved,  so  that  when  I  purchased  the 
Gazette  establishment  from  him,  on  the  first  of  January, 
1810,  it  would  have  been  a  difficult  matter  to  decide 
which  was  in  the  most  complete  confusion,  his  private 
affairs,  or  the  affairs  of  the  establishment  generally.  Of 
the  latter,  some  idea  may  be  formed,  when  I  state  the 
fact,  that  there  were  printed  upwards  of  two  hundred 
papers  daily  more  than  were  wanted  to  supply  the  then 
demand,  which  were  made  way  with  by  the  slaves  who 


78  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

worked  in  the  office,  unknown  to  their  masters.  He  had 
been  several  times  a  member  of  the  legislature ;  where 
his  services  were  alike  creditable  to  himself  and  useful  to 
the  State,  through  which  his  influence  extended  and  was 
felt.  He  had  no  enemies,  but  many  warm  hearted 
friends,  who  never  suffered  a  difference  in  politics  to  sepa 
rate  them  from  him. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  greatly  attached  to  him  and  kept  up 
a  correspondence  with  him,  some  of  which  he  read  to  me. 
He  also  appointed  him  Commissioner  of  the  Loan  Office 
for  South  Carolina,  with  a  nett  salary  of  two  thousand 
dollars  per  annum.  The  office  was  little  less  than  a  sine 
cure  ;  the  business  of  it  being  done  by  a  clerk  for  three 
or  four  hundred  dollars.  Still  the  goodness  of  his  heart 
had  involved  him  t)  such  an  extent  in  securityships,  par 
ticularly  one  or  two  heavy  ones,  (that  he  had  suffered 
greatly  by)  that  he  could  not  redeem  himself,  and  after 
Mr.  Madison  came  into  power,  circumstances  made  it 
necessary  that  he  should  resign  the  office  he  held.  Still, 
amidst  all  his  difficulties,  that  cheerfulness  of  temper 
which  had  marked  his  whole  life,  and  made  his  society 
courted,  did  not  forsake  him.  The  trial  of  his  strength 
was  yet  to  come.  It  came  :  —  An  old  and  dear  friend 
was  an  endorser  on  his  paper  —  he  became  alarmed  lest 
that  friend  should  suffer  on  his  account  —  his  cheerfulness 
at  once  forsook  him.  One  day,  only  a  few  minutes  before 
the  bank  would  close,  he  called  on  another  friend,  whom  he 
knew  he  could  depend  on,  and  told  him  that  his  note  for 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  would  go  to  protest  that  day,  un 
less  this  friend  could  lend  him  the  money  to  take  it  up. 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  79 

His  friend  had  it  not,  and  could  not  possibly  procure  it 
before  the  bank  would  shut ;  but  promised  to  assist  him 
in  taking  it  up  the  next  morning,  and  at  the  same  time 
invited  him  home  to  dinner.  This  he  refused,  in  a  man 
ner  which  particularly  excited  the  attention  of  this  friend, 
with  whom  he  had  dined  every  Sunday  for  several  years, 
and  once  or  twice  in  the  week  beside.  Freneau  went 
home  :  his  friend,  apprehensive  of  something  serious,  ate 
a  few  mouthfuls  of  dinner  and  followed  him.  He  found 
him  writing,  and  four  folded  notes  already  written  were 
lying  in  a  heap  upon  the  table,  the  upper  one  of  which 
was  directed  to  this  very  friend.  In  a  moment  Freneau's 
intention  flashed  upon  his  mind.  Without  opening  the 
note  that  was  before  him,  he  said,  "  Freneau,  give  me 
your  word  of  honor,  that  I  shall  find  you  here  an  hour 
hence.  I  am  going  to  the  notary."  He  looked  up  in  his 
friend's  face  with  a  look  which  showed,  how,  even  a 
mighty  mind  could  be  shaken,  and  overcome  by  the  tem 
pest  of  adversity  ;  he  gave  the  required  pledge.  His 
friend  hastened  to  the  notary,  whom  he  found  just  mount 
ing  his  horse  to  give  notice  to  the  indorser.  The  parties 
knew  each  other.  The  friend  pledged  himself  that  if  he 
would  not  proceed,  the  note  should  be  taken  up  as  soon 
as  the  bank  opened  next  morning.  This  was  at  once 
agreed  to,  and  he  hastened  back  to  Freneau,  who,  in  his 
absence,  had  destroyed  the  notes,  and  in  some  slight  de 
gree  regained  his  cheerfulness. 

His  friend  staid  with  him  until  late  in  the  evening, 
carefully  avoiding  all  allusion  to  what  had  happened, 
merely  remarking,  at  parting,  that  every  thing  would  be 


80  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

satisfactorily  arranged  in  the  morning ;  when  that  arrived, 
the  friend  went  and  procured  the  money,  which  he  gave 
to  Freneau,  who  took  up  his  note,  and  became  in  a  few 
days,  restored  to  his  usual  cheerfulness,  without  its  hav 
ing  been  known  to  but  two  or  three,  the  precipice  from 
which  he  had  been  rescued.  He  lived  to  be  the  delight 
of  his  friends  for  two  or  three  years  after. 

His  knowledge  was  universal ;  his  conversational 
powers  great ;  but  so  little  was  he  aware  that  he  pos 
sessed  those  powers,  in  such  an  eminent  degree,  that  he 
communicated  the  most  interesting  truths,  and  in  a  man 
ner  the  most  agreeable,  as  if  he  was  not  sensible  that  he 
was  saying  any  thing  not  already  known  to  all  who  were 
listening  to  him. 

His  manners  were  popular  in  the  extreme,  and  he  need 
only  to  have  sought,  to  have  obtained  any  office  in  the 
gift  of  the  people  of  the  State,  but  he  was  devoid  of  all 
ambition  for  any  thing  of  the  kind.  The  latter  part 
of  his  life  was  devoted  to  a  few  friends  and  his  books. 
He  was  fond  of  retirement,  and  that  he  might  enjoy  it  in 
the  greatest  perfection,  he  commenced  building  a  cottage 
in  the  interior  of  the  State,  where  it  was  his  intention  to 
retire  for  the  remainder  of  his  days,  little  thinking  that 
the  means  he  was  thus  taking  to  prolong  them  in  peace 
and  quietness,  would  so  soon  cause  their  end. 

It  is  not  safe,  or  prudent,  for  citizens  of  Charleston  to 
visit  the  country,  further  than  they  can  return  the  same 
day,  from  the  beginning  of  July  till  the  autumnal  frosts 
which  generally  commence  early  in  November.  Mr. 
Freneau  was  anxious  to  visit  his  workmen,  and  see  the 


LAST    SIXTY-FIVE    YEARS.  81 

progress  of  his  cottage  ;  all  that  his  friends  could  say  to 
him  against  so  imprudent  and  then  unnecessary  a  step,  he 
could  not  be  dissuaded  from  it.  He  went ;  was  absent 
eight  or  ten  days,  and  returned  apparently  in  perfect 
health,  with  his  usual  flow  of  spirits ;  but  he  had  inhaled 
the  fatal  miasma,  although  it  did  not  appear  in  disease,  as 
is  frequently  the  case,  for  upwards  of  a  week  after  his 
return,  when  the  well  known  symptoms  made  their  ap 
pearance  with  such  violence  as  left  little  hope  for  his 
friends  from  the  beginning.  He  had  the  best  medical 
attendance,  and  some  of  those  friends  that  were  most 
endeared  to  him,  were  ever  by  his  bedside.  A  young  lady, 
the  daughter  of  one  of  his  oldest  friends,  devoted  herself  to 
him  with  such  assiduity,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  she 
could  be  prevailed  upon  to  leave  him  long  enough  to  take 
her  necessary  rest  and  refreshment.  I  had  been  watch 
ing  over  him  all  night,  and  the  physician  in  attendance 
seeing  no  signs  of  immediate  dissolution,  I  retired  to  take 
some  refreshment.  In  about  an  hour  I  was  sent  for,  and 
when  I  got  there,  found  that  the  hand  of  death  was  upon 
him  —  he  never  spoke  after.  It  was  the  fifth  day  of  his 
illness,  and  although  he  had  scarcely  ever  known  sick 
ness  before,  his  strong  constitution  was  so  completely  ex 
hausted  by  its  violence,  that  for  some  time  before  the  vital 
spark  had  fled,  he  made  not  a  move  or  a  groan.  Thus 
ended,  in  his  fifty-seventh  year,  in  October,  J814,  the  life 
of  a  man,  who  to  transcendant  talents  united  that  amia 
bility  of  temper  and  benevolence  of  heart  that  made  him 
the  friend  of  all  his  race. 


82  REMINISCENCES      OP      THE 

This,  all  who  knew  him  know, 
This,  all  who  loved  him  tell. 

But  we  have  not  done  with  him.  In  person  Mr.  Fre- 
neau  was  six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  and  of  such  pro 
portions  that  it  seemed  as  if  "  every  god  had  set  his  seal 
to  give  the  world  assurance  of  a  man"  Except  in  height, 
he  was  the  very  counterpart  of  the  great  English  States 
man,  Charles  James  Fox  ;  the  heads  of  no  two  men  were 
ever  more  alike,  whether  in  reference  to  their  contents  or 
outside  appearance.  Their  voices  ;  their  conversational 
powers;  their  manners  were  so  exactly  alike,  that  when 
in  conversation  with  the  one,  it  required  no  stretch  of 
fancy  to  bring  the  other  to  your  remembrance  ;  he  came 
without  being  called. 

In  London,  in  1803, 1  bought  a  miniature  bust  of  Mr. 
Fox,  a  most  admirable  likeness,  which  I  took  to  Charles 
ton  and  placed  over  my  mantle.  All  who  saw  it  ex 
claimed  in  a  moment,  "  Where  did  you  get  that  bust  of 
Freneau  ?"  and  well  they  might,  for  it  was  as  like  the  one 
as  the  other. 

Mr.  Freneau  had  had  an  extensive  correspondence 
with  many  of  the  first  men  of  our  nation,  which,  with 
other  valuable  manuscripts,  although  I  had  the  sole  direc 
tion  of  his  funeral,  which  was  largely  attended,  I  never 
knew  what  became  of  them:  for  his  creditors,  who  had 
never  pushed  him  in  life,  had  the  sheriff  in  his  bouse 
before  his  remains  were  carried  out  of  it :  and  I  have 
recently  learned  that  not  a  stone,  nor  even  a  stick,  points 
out  the  spot  where  he  rests !  Yet  we  are  told  that 
republics  are  not  ungrateful.  In  making  these  slight  noti- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  83 

ces  to  his  memory,  I  fee)  that  I  am  performing  an  act  of 
gratitude  to  one  **  whose  like  we  ne'er  shall  look  upon 
again" 


GENERAL  ROBERT  Y.  HAYNE 

\Vritten  July    8,  1840. 

Was  born  in  South  Carolina,  on  the  10th  of  November, 
1791,  and  having  first  received  a  good  school  education, 
in  the  city  of  Charleston,  at  about  the  age  of  seventeen, 
he  commenced  reading  law  with  Langdon  Cheves,  Esq., 
and  before  he  was  quite  twenty-one,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar;  when,  Mr.  Cheves  being  called  into  public  life,  he 
transferred  his  great  and  lucrative  practice  to  Mr.  Hayne* 
who  at  once  found  himself  involved  in  a  practice  as  great, 
or  greater,  than  any  other  gentleman  at  the  bar.  He 
was  young  and  diffident ;  but  whatever  untiring  industry 
and  close  application  could  perform,  he  felt  confident  that 
it  was  in  him  to  accomplish.  His  mind  now  began  to 
expand,  and  in  proportion  to  that  expansion,  his  want  of 
confidence  wore  off,  and  he  took  rank  among  the  first  of 
his  profession,  at  an  age  when  very  few  have  even  gained 
an  admission  to  it.  It  was  just  before  he  was  of  age, 
that  I  addressed  a  note  to  him  one  day,  inviting  him  to 
become  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature,  the  election  being 
then  near  at  hand.  His  reply  was  expressed  in  terms  of 
the  greatest  gratitude  for  my  friendly  feelings  towards 


84  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

him,  which  I  had  always  felt,  and  then  strongly  expresed, 
and  regretted  he  was  not  of  an  age  to  become  a  candi 
date.  I  had  watched  him  from  childhood,  and  saw  the 
opening  blossoms  of  a  parent's  hope  expanding  as  his 
youth  advanced.  The  seeds  of  goodness  and  greatness 
which  were  sown  in  him  at  his  birth,  grew  with  his 
growth  and  strengthened  with  his  strength,  and  young 
though  he  was  wrhen  he  left  us,  his  country  had  reaped 
the  harvest  in  a  well-spent  life,  which  had  been  devoted 
to  her  interest,  as  he  conscientiously  believed,  and  if  at 
any  time  he  was  mistaken  in  that  belief,  it  was  the  mis 
take  of  an  honest  man  and  a  Christian,  who  had  devoted 
his  soul  to  his  God  and  his  life  to  his  country. 

In  September,  1814, 1  again  called  upon  him  to  become 
a  candidate.  There  was  no  longer  any  impediment,  and 
he  was  elected  by  an  overwhelming  vote  ahead  of  all 
others  on  the  ticket.  He  had  served  but  two  terms  when 
he  was  elected  Speaker  of  the  House.  The  term  for 
wrhich  he  was  elected  to  this  high  office  had  not  expired, 
when  the  two  Houses  elected  him  Attorney  General  of 
the  State,  in  which  office  he  continued  until  1823,  when 
he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States, 
although  then  but  thirty-two  years  of  age !  Here  his  great 
mind  had  its  full  scope,  and  his  amiable  disposition,  with 
his  unequalled  suavity  of  manners,  alike  secured  to  him 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  all.  From  my  knowledge  of 
him  through  life,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  that  the 
man  who  knew  and  did  not  respect  Robert  Y.  Hayne, 
had  a  heart  and  feelings  not  to  be  envied. 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  85 

In  December  1832,  he  was  elected  Governor  of  the 
State,  a  situation,  as  things  then  stood,  in  which  he  had 
every  thing  to  fear  and  nothing  to  hope. 

"As  Governor  of  the  State,  Mr.  Hayne  was  very  soon 
called  upon  to  act.  The  proclamation  of  the  President, 
issued  on  the  10th  of  December,  in  relation  to  the  pro 
ceedings  of  South  Carolina,  reached  Columbia  in  a  very 
few  days,  and  was  met  by  a  counter  proclamation  from 
Gov.  Hayne,  expressed  in  terms  of  lofty  defiance,  on  the 
20th  of  the  same  month.  The  warlike  aspect  of  these 
two  documents,  exhibiting  on  the  one  hand,  a  determina 
tion  to  put  down  South  Carolina  by  force,  and  on  the 
other,  a  resolution  to  resist  unto  death,  very  naturally 
excited  an  alarm  for  the  safety  of  the  Union,  in  all  parts 
of  the  United  States,  which  pre-disposed  a  majority  of  the 
people  in  favor  of  conciliatory  measures.  In  South  Car 
olina,  preparations  of  the  most  vigorous  and  efficient 
kind,  were  every  where  made  for  the  defence  of  the  State, 
and  in  these  arrangements,  the  Governor  took  an  active 
and  conspicuous  part.  The  proceedings  which  took 
place  in  Congress,  on  the  2d  of  March,  1833,  are  too  well 
known  to  need  a  recapitulation  here.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  the  simultaneous  passage  of  a  bill  modifying  the 
tariff,  and  of  one  designed  to  enforce  the  collection  of  the 
revenue,  put  an  end  to  the  apprehensions  of  an  approach 
ing  conflict  between  the  Federal  Government  and  the 
State  of  South  Carolina,  which  induced  the  Convention, 
on  the  Af>th  of  March,  to  enact  an  ordinance,  repealing 
the  previous  one  of  the  24th  of  November.  Of  this 

Convention,  Gen.  Hayne  was  elected  President  at  its 
v^T.  \.  a 


86  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

second  session,  which  commenced  on  the  llth  of  March, 
and  closed  on  the  18th;  Gen.  Hamilton  having  previ 
ously  resigned. 

"  From  this  memorable  epoch  until  the  month  of  De 
cember,  1834,  Gov.  Hayne  continued  in  the  Executive 
chair,  though  not  without  having  subjects  of  exciting 
interest  to  demand  his  solicitu  '.e.  The  spirit  of  party  in 
South  Carolina,  had  not  been  appeased  by  the  settlement 
of  the  dispute  with  the  Government  at  Washington. — 
The  predominant  party  were  desirous  of  enforcing  obe 
dience  to  the  State,  in  all  future  conflicts,  by  demanding  an 
oath  of  allegiance,  whilst  the  minority  threatened  resist 
ance  to  any  law  which  should  be  designed  to  exact  it. — 
In  casting  oil  upon  these  troubled  waters,  Gov.  Hayne 
was  aiainly  instrumental,  by  putting  forth  a  proclamation 
enjoining  obedience  to  the  decision  of  the  Court  of  Ap 
peals,  which  pronounced  unconstitutional  a  military  oath 
enjoined  by  the  Legislature,  in  opposition  to  the  decided 
opinion  entertained  by  the  party  in  power.  Perhaps  to 
this  wise  and  prudent  course  of  the  Governor,  may  be 
traced  that  gradual  relaxation  of  the  spirit  that  urged  the 
enforcement  of  an  oath  of  allegiance,  which  subsequently 
terminated  in  the  reconciliation  of  the  two  parties  in  the 
Legislature,  commemorated  by  the  almost  unanimous 
election  of  Mr.  McDuffie  as  Governor  of  the  State,  and 
the  abandonment  of  the  bill  designed  to  exact  an  oath  of 
allegiance." 

On  the  fourth  of  July,  1836,  he  was  elected  Resident 
of  the  great  Railroad  Convention,  then  assembled  at 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  87 

Knoxville,  Tennessee,  consisting  of  four  hundred  mem 
bers,  whose  deliberations  he  presided  over  for  five  days, 
with  ease,  dignity,  and  a  great  despatch  of  business.  On 
the  organization  of  the  Railroad  Company,  he  was  elected 
a  Director,  and  immediately  after,  by  the  unanimous  vote 
of  the  board,  he  was  elected  President,  and  continued  in 
that  high  station  to  his  death,  which  happened  at  Ash- 
ville,  North  Carolina,  on  the  24th  of  September,  1839,  in 
the  forty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  To  this,  my  great  en 
terprise,  his  death  has  put  a  stop,  at  least  for  many  years 
to  come,  but  it  must  and  will  be  accomplished. 

General  Hayne  had  very  extensive  connexions,  many 
of  whom  looked  up  to  him  for  aid,  and  never  looked  in 
vain. 

The  great  leading  trait,  in  the  character  of  this  great  man, 
has  been  overlooked  :  it  was  the  wonderful  talent  of  con 
trolling  the  actions  of  others,  unfelt  and  unseen.  They 
knew  not  the  eye  that  directed,  nor  the  hand  that  led  them, 
but  felt  and  followed  the  unseen  guide,  as  if  it  were  an 
act  of  their  own  volition.  His  death  has  made  a  chasm 
in  South  Carolina  which  they  have  no  man  to  fill ;  there 
is  no  treading  in  his  footsteps  —  not  but  what  they  have 
the  talent,  but  the  people  have  not  the  confidence.  No 
man  was  ever  so  mourned  in  that  State  before  ;  it  was 
not  the  unequalled  pageant  that  spoke  their  griefs,  but  it 
was  the  pouring  out  of  their  hearts  upon  the  grave  of  their 
great  and  good  friend,  that  told  their  tale  of  woe. 

For  myself,  I  lost  in  him  a  long  and  tried  friend,  who 
was  near  and  dear  to  me  ;  but  as  he  was  gathered  to  his 
fathers  full  of  honors,  and  in  the  midst  of  his  fame,  he 


88  REMINISCENCES      OP      THE 

died  as  the  great  should  ever  wish  to  die.  Let  us  not 
be  deceived ;  it  is  for  ourselves  we  mourn,  and  not  for 
him. 

Of  his  numerous  letters  to  me,  there  are  none  that 
speak  the  great  interest  he  took  in  the  promotion  of  the 
great  enterprise  over  which  he  presided,  more  fully  than 
the  following,  which  was  written  fourteen  months  before 
bis  death. 

Charleston,  July  21,  1838. 

Dear  Sir  —  I  yesterday  received  your  letter  of  the 
8th  inst,  and  am  gratified  at  the  lively  and  continued 
interest  which  you  take  in  the  fortunes  of  Charleston. 
The  late  conflagration,  destructive  as  it  has  been,  has 
served  to  call  forth  the  energies  of  the  people,  both  of 
the  city  and  state.  Indeed,  such  has  been  the  impulse 
given  to  the  public  mind  here,  within  the  last  few  years  — 
such  is  the  spirit  of  enterprise  exerted,  especially  by  the 
prospect  opened  to  us  of  extending  our  connections  by  a 
direct  trade  to  Europe,  and  by  railroads  to  the  Viest — • 
that  nothing  seems  even  to  dishearten  us.  Our  burnt  dis 
trict,  even  at  this  season  of  the  year,  is  covered  with  work 
shops;  brick  buildings  are  going  up  in  every  direction  : 
and  in  a  very  short  time,  not  a  vestige  of  our  late  loss 
will  remain.  Be  assured  that  Charleston  is  destined  to 
arise  like  a  Phoenix  from  her  ashes,  in  unrivalled  strength 
and  beauty ;  and  be  assured,  also,  that  with  due  encour 
agement  from  our  Western  brethren,  we  shall  never 
stop  short  of  connecting  ourselves,  by  railroads,  with  the 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  89 

navigable  waters  of  the  West,  and  at  as  many  points  as 
may  be  fairly  thrown  open  to  us. 

We  fear  no  competition  from  other  cities  on  the  At 
lantic  coast.  In  the  vast  trade  which  will  be  poured 
from  the  fertile  and  populous  regions  of  the  West,  into 
the  "  broad  Atlantic,"  there  will  be  enough  for  us  all. 
Gen.  Bernard,  in  one  of  his  reports,  laments  that  there 
were  so  few  practicable  routes  for  railroads  and  canals 
across  the  Alleghenies ;  that  in  process  of  time  they  would 
all  be  found  inadequate  to  the  wants  of  commerce.  Our 
passage  across  the  mountains,  (through  the  valley  of  the 
French  Broad  river.)  is  the  shortest  and  best  yet  discov 
ered.  We  shall  probably  effect  it  without  a  single  in 
clined  plane;  by  concurring  elevations  not  exceeding  1200 
feet ;  and  from  the  summit  of  the  mountains,  westward, 
we  have  almost  a  level  plain  to  Knoxville,  the  head  of 
steamboat  navigation  on  the  Tennessee. 

The  aid  of  Kentucky,  if  extended  to  us,  will  certainly 
continue  the  road  to  Lexington  ;  and  from  thence,  all  the 
proposed  lines  to  the  Ohio  will  sooner  or  later  be  filled 
up.  So  that  we  may  look  forward,  with  good  hope,  to 
a  "  consummation  so  devoutly  to  be  wished." 

It  was  necessarily  our  first  step,  to  push  on  from  the 
ocean;  and  here,  finding  a  road  ready  made  to  our 
hands,  we  have  availed  ourselves  of  it  for  sixty-two  miles 
of  our  way.  From  this  point,  (Branchville,  on  the 
Charleston  and  Hamburg  road,)  we  have  laid  out  the 
road  to  Columbia,  about  sixty-five  miles  ;  have  made  all 
the  contracts,  and  are  proceeding  rapidly.  In  the  mean 


90  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

time,  Gen.  Hamilton  has  gone  to  Europe,  to  effect  a  loan 
of  $2,000,000  for  our  company,  on  the  credit  of  the  state 
of  South  Carolina. 

We  hope  to  put  the  "  South  Western  Railroad  Bank" 
in  operation  early  in  the  winter.  This  institution  — 
especially  should  Kentucky  concur  in  the  charter  —  will, 
under  successful  management,  MAKE  THE  ROAD  ;  arid  I 
hope  you  may  live  to  see  the  realization  of  all  your  long 
cherished  hopes  on  this  subject. 

We  have  a  meeting  of  the  general  board  of  directors, 
at  Lexington,  on  the  fourth  Monday  in  August,  and  of 
the  stockholders,  at  Ashville,  (N.  C.)  on  the  17th  of  Sep 
tember.  I  shall,  in  my  route,  examine  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  railroad,  and  take  Cincinnati  in  my  way  to 
Lexington,  to  view  the  wonders  of  western  industry, 
and  to  exchange  views  with  you  and  other  friends  to  the 
great  cause  of  public  improvement.  I  hope  you  will  be 
at  home  about  the  20th  of  August,  when  I  expect  to  be 
in  Cincinnati. 

With  great  respect  and  esteem, 

I  am  very  truly  yours, 

E.  S.  THOMAS,  ESQ.  ROBERT  Y.  HAYNE, 

His  last  letter  to  me  was  written  a  month  after  the 
preceding  one,  and  is  as  follows  : 

Ohio  River,  (near  Maysville,)  August  '4,  1838. 

My  dear  sir  —  The  low  state  of  the  river,  and  our 
being  compelled  to  stop  at  nights,  have  so  delayed  our 
progress,  that  I  am  compelled  to  forego  the  pleasure  of 
visiting  Cincinnati  at  this  time.  Indeed,  without  landing 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  91 

at  Maysvillc,  and  proceeding  on  immediately  to  Lexing 
ton,  1  cannot  reach  there  in  time  to  attend  the  meeting 
to  be  held  on  Monday  next.  If,  on  getting  through  with 
my  business  there,  I  should  find  that  I  have  time  to  visit 
your  city,  and  fulfil  my  engagement  at  Ashville,  (N.  C.) 
on  the  ]7th  of  September,  I  shall  return  from  Lexington 
to  Cincinnati.  Had  I  been  acquainted  with  the  difficul 
ties  of  the  navigation  at  this  season  of  the  year,  I  should 
have  endeavored  to  have  anticipated  my  journey  by  a 
few  days,  so  as  to  have  provided  against  delays.  I 
should  be  extremely  reluctant,  after  having  travelled  thus 
far,  to  be  compelled  to  return  without  seeing  the  "queen 
city  of  the  West,"  and  still  hope  that  I  may  have  that 
pleasure. 

I  am  very  respectfully  and 

Truly  yours, 
E.  S.  THOMAS,  ESQ.  ROBERT  Y.  HAYNE. 

One  week  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  the  General  and 
his  party  arrived  in  Cincinnati,  from  Lexington.  It  was 
on  the  eve  of  the  first  of  September.  I  was  in  a  very 
feeble  state  of  health,  and  after  waiting  his  arrival  until 
eight  o'clock,  I  was  compelled  to  retire,  having  first  ad 
dressed  a  note  to  him.  Feeble  as  I  was,  I  waited  upon 
him  early  in  the  morning,  when,  to  my  astonishment,  he 
presented  to  me  seven  other  gentlemen  —  all  old  friends, 
or  the  sons  of  old  friends.  He  had  written  to  me  three 
times  in  the  course  of  his  journey,  and  I  asked  him  why 
he  had  not  mentioned  those  gentlemen.  The  answer 
was,  it  was  his  intention  agreeably  to  surprise  me,  and  he 


92  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

hoped  he  had  succeeded.  He  had,  indeed :  the  agreeable 
surprise,  added  to  a  favorable  change  in  the  weather, 
went  far  to  restore  me  to  health.  They  spent 


A  DAY  IN  CINCINNATI : 

Which  is  beautifully  and  graphically  described  in  the 
following  letter,  from  the  pen  of  Richard  Yeadon,  jr.  Esq., 
the  talented  editor  of  the  Charleston  Courier,  who  was 
one  of  the  parly. 

Sulphur  Springs,  N.  C.,  September  17. 

On  the  31st  ult.,  the  second  day  after  the  barbecue,  our 
southern  party  left  Lexington  in  the  stage  for  Cincinnati, 
distant  about  eighty-two  miles,  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing.  It  was  with  regret  that  we  were  compelled  to 
travel  twelve  miles  in  the  night  time,  to  Georgetown,  a 
thriving  place  with  some  3000  inhabitants,  as  we  were 
told  that  in  the  intervening  space  we  passed  over  one  of 
the  finest  and  most  highly  cultivated  parts  of  Kentucky. 
Beyond  Georgetown,  our  route  lay  for  a  considerable 
distance  over  a  succession  of  steep  and  rocky  elevations, 
called  the  Eagle  Hills,  forming  one  of  the  worst  stage 
roads  I  ever  encountered.  On  the  way,  an  old  and  de 
serted  church  was  pointed  out  to  us,  having  the  reputa 
tion  of  being  haunted,  the  door,  which  was  ajar  when  we 
passed,  being  said  to  assume  that  position  of  its  own  ac_ 
cord,  in  despite  of  all  efforts  to  keep  it  shut.  Further  on 
we  came  to  a  haunted  dell,  said  to  be  perambulated  by 
the  headless  form  of  a  murdered  traveller.  Superstition, 
you  perceive,  has  its  abiding  places,  even  in  the  western 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  03 

wilds.  At  Williamstown,  civilities  were  tendered  us  by 
the  citizens  and  lawyers  of  the  village,  (it  being  court 
time,)  and  refreshments  were  voluntarily  handed  us,  by 
the  landlord  of  the  inn,  where  the  stage  stopped  for  a 
change  of  horses,  for  which  he  refused  compensation. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  fine  farm  and  residence  of  Mr. 
A.  W.  Gaines,  the  stage  contractor,  about  twenty  miles 
from  Cincinnati,  we  were  invited  to  partake  of  a  hand 
some  dinner,  most  hospitably  and  unexpectedly  prepared 
for  us,  by  that  very  courteous  and  pleasant  gentleman. 

Not  long  after  we  left  the  house  of  Mr.  Gaines,  the 
stage-driver,  by  driving  furiously  and  carelessly  down  a 
hill,  and  the  striking  of  one  of  the  wheels  of  the  stage 
against  an  obstacle  in  the  road,  got  thrown  from  his  seat, 
and  the  horses  took  off  with  us  in  an  uncontrolled  gallop 
for  about  half  a  mile.  At  one  moment  we  were  in  immi 
nent  danger  of  an  upset,  from  a  pile  of  rails,  lying  in  the 
road ;  but  the  horses  made  a  slight  deviation,  just  barely 
in  time  to  pass  in  safety.  One  of  our  companions  (Col. 
Mills.)  and  two  other  passengers,  who  were  outside  with 
the  driver,  leaped  from  their  seats,  the  first  named  with  a 
slight  bruise  on  the  knee,  the  others  without  injury.  The 
rest  of  us  kept  our  seats  steadily  within  the  stage,  and  our 
perilous  career  was  ultimately  arrested  without  further 
injury,  by  the  turning  of  one  of  our  leading  horses,  in  a 
spirit  of  companionship,  by  the  side  of  a  nag,  hitched  to  a 
fence,  near  a  set  of  block  steps  by  the  way  side,  and  the 
stopping  of  the  other  by  a  negro  boy,  who  rushed  to  our 
aid  from  the  adjacent  house.  The  most  serious  injury 
sustained  from  this  accident,  was  a  severe  sprain  of  the 


94  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

driver's  ancle,  a  merited  punishment  for  his  rashness  and 
folly. 

Having  repaired  the  slight  damage  to  our  harness,  we 
proceeded  on  our  journey,  and,  from  Florence,  rolled 
swiftly  over  a  fine  Mackadamized  road,  and  through  a 
wild  and  romantic  country,  as  it  seemed  by  moonlight, 
some  ten  or  fifteen  miles,  to  Covington,  on  the  Kentucky 
side  of  the  Ohio.  A  ferry  boat  then  took  us  immediately 
across  the  river,  the  broad  surface  of  which  was  illumin 
ated  with  the  silver  light  of  the  moon,  and  between  nine 
and  ten  o'clock  P.  M.  we  were  safely  disposed  of  in  the 
Broadway  Hotel,  an  extensive  and  well  conducted  estab 
lishment  in  Cincinnati. 

We  performed  our  journey  in  company  with,  and  under 
the  auspices  of  Gen.  James  Taylor,  a  director  of  the 
great  Railroad,  and  one  of  the  wealthiest  citizens  of 
Kentucky,  who  resides  at  Newport,  another  Kentucky 
town,  immediately  opposite  to  Cincinnati.  To  this  ex 
cellent  and  kind  hearted  gentleman,  we  were  indebted  for 
every  species  of  attention  and  hospitality.  He  did  every 
thing  in  his  power  to  render  our  journey  pleasant  and 
comfortable,  and  never  left  us  until  he  saw  us  lodged  in 
our  hotel,  when  he  recrossed  the  river,  to  pass  trie  night 
at  his  residence  in  Newport. 

Although  in  his  seventieth  year,  he  is  yet  a  jovial  com 
panion,  full  of  animation,  anecdote  and  song.  Born  a 
Virginian,  he  was  an  early  settler  in  the  West,  and  has 
lived  to  see  the  wilderness  he  first  inhabited,  teem  with 
population  and  industry,  and  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the 
rose.  His  life  has  been  one  of  much  interest  and  adven- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  95 

ture.  During  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  he  served  hon 
orably  as  an  officer  in  the  American  army  ;  and  he  often 
relates,  with  patriotic  and  soldierly  indignation,  the  un 
fortunate  chance  which  placed  him  among  those  gallant 
fellows,  who,  against  their  earnest  remonstrances  and  en 
treaties,  were  surrendered  to  the  British,  in  an  early  stage 
of  the  war,  by  the  cowardly  Hull. 

General  Taylor  is  also  one  of  the  most  active  and 
zealous  friends  of  the  great  Railroad.  In  addition  to  his 
subscription,  and  the  troublesome  duties  of  the  director 
ship,  he  has  offered  the  company  a  free  passage  through  his 
lands,  and  other  valuable  privileges,  should  the  road  ever 
find  its  desired  terminus  in  the  queen  city  of  the  West. 

The  morning  after  our  arrival  in  Cincinnati  was  spent 
partly  in  receiving  the  complimentary  visits  and  cordial 
welcome  of  the  citizens,  among  whom  was  General  Har 
rison,  the  distinguished  hero  of  Tippecanoe  and  the 
Thames,  and  the  Ohio  candidate  for  the  presidency,  who 
was  temporalily  staying  at  our  hotel.  We  then  proceed 
ed,  under  the  auspices  of  Gen.  Taylor,  who  had  provided 
several  carriages  for  the  occasion,  to  ride  about  the  city, 
and  see  as  much  as  we  could  of  it,  in  the  short  period  we 
had  to  spare.  The  fine  private  residences  and  public 
buildings,  and  the  general  appearance  of  bustle,  industry, 
and  prosperity,  filled  us  with  admiration  as  we  passed 
through  the  spacious  streets  of  the  beautiful  and  queenly 
city.  In  the  course  of  the  morning  we  visited  Mr.  Bon- 
sail,  where  refreshments  were  hospitably  offered,  and  the 
party  took  a  view  of  the  city  from  the  cupola  of  his 
handsome  mansion. 


96  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

The  xrast  pork  houses,  where  myriads  of  hogs  are  an 
nually  slaughtered,  and  three  said  to  be  killed  and  cleaned 
in  a  minute,  claimed  our  attention  ;  but  our  visit  was 
timed  during  what  may  be  termed  the  summer  recess  or 
vacation,  and  when  the  activity  of  trade  had  scarcely  en 
abled  the  proprietors  to  save  any  portion  of  their  bacon 
for  our  inspection. 

A  walk  through  the  splendid  garden  of  Mr.  Long- 
worth,  (one  of  the  greatest  land-proprietors  in  Cincin 
nati,)  adorned  with  native  and  exotic  beauty,  made  us 
acquainted  with  one  of  the  most  elegant  specimens  of 
this  branch  of  the  fine  arts  we  had  ever  witnessed.  Mr. 
L.  was  not  at  home  when  we  called,  but  he  afterwards 
found  opportunity  to  pay  us  civilities  in  person,  and  the 
next  day  sent  us  two  bottles  of  wine,  manufactured  by 
him,  from  grapes  of  his  own  vineyard  —  a  bottle  of  white, 
and  a  bottle  of  brown  hock,  the  latter  an  excellent  wine, 
of  fine  flavor.  His  son,  and  son-in-law  did  the  honors  of 
his  mansion  and  grounds  in  his  absence. 

We  visited  also  the  spot  where  those  floating  palaces 
are  built  which  swarm  the  waters  of  the  Ohio,  laden  with 
the  treasures  of  Western  produce  and  merchandise,  and 
the  yet  more  precious  frieght  of  countless  human  lives  ; 
and  hard  by  lay  the  wreck  of  the  Moselle,  associated  with 
as  sad,  and  as  harrowing  a  legend,  as  the  ill-fated  Pulaski. 

At  one  o'clock,  P.  M.,  we  went,  by  appointment,  to 
the  workshop  of  Mr.  McGrew,  a  highly  respectable,  in 
telligent,  and  ingenious  mechanic  and  machinist,  who  ex 
hibited  to  us  some  interesting  inventions  and  experiments 
connected  with  rail  road  science.  He  showed  us  his 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  97 

machinery  for  propelling  rail  cars,  by  means  of  the  con 
densation  or  compressure  of  common  air.  In  his  opinion, 
stationary  reservoirs  of  compressed  air  may  be  establish 
ed  at  intervals  of  fifteen  miles,  with  the  requisite  power 
of  propulsion.  It  is  very  problematical,  however,  whether 
this  process,  which  has  much  engaged  the  attention  of 
philosophers  and  ingenious  men,  and  which  casteris  pa- 
ribus  would  be  infinitely  preferable  to  steam,  can  ever  be 
practically  applied. 

Another  invention  which  this  gentleman  exhibited  to 
us,  and  which  seems  more  practical  in  its  character,  con 
sists  in  such  a  construction  of  the  rail,  and  a  correspond 
ing  apparatus  to  the  car,  as  to  render  it  impossible  for 
the  latter  to  run  off  the  former.  In  the  model  shown  us, 
the  rail  is  furnished  with  an  upper  and  inward  flange,  and 
the  car  with  a  pair  of  horizontal  wheels  in  front,  having 
grooves,  of  which  the  flange  of  the  rail  forms  the  tongue. 
The  wheels  are  so  constructed  and  placed,  that  no  portion 
of  the  weight  of  the  car  presses  on  them,  and  they  are, 
therefore,  subject  to  little  or  no  friction.  Similar  hind 
wheels  may  be  added.  The  effect  of  this  invention  is  to 
confine  the  car  to  the  road,  even  when  passing  along  the 
sharpest  curves,  and  consequently  to  increase  the  safety 
and  speed,  and  lessen  the  expense  of  construction.  We 
here  closed  our  morning's  tour,  and  returned  to  our  hotel 
to  dinner,  at  which  General  Harrison  and  Dr.  Warder, 
a  gentleman  who  paid  us  many  attentions,  joined  our 
party. 

After  dinner,  according  to  previous  arrangement,  we 
commenced  a  tour  to  avail  ourselves  of  various  proffered 


98  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

hospitalities  ;  and  never  before,  I  verily  believe,  were  so 
many  and  such  kindly  ones  compressed  within  so  small  a 
period.  We  were  literally  in  danger  of  being  killed  with 
kindness,  and  had  no  little  difficulty  in  eating  and  drinking 
our  way  through  in  safety  and  sobriety. 

Our  first  visit  was  to  Mr.  Casey,  at  Covington,  another 
of  the  Kentucky  directors  of  the  Railroad,  where  our  hos 
pitable  but  perilous  ordeal  commenced,  in  the  shape  of 
tempting  wines  and  viands. 

We  next  proceeded  to  the  residence  of  the  Hon.  W.  W. 
Southgate,  member  of  congress  from  that  part  of  Ken 
tucky,  where  we  were  entertained  in  the  like  handsome 
manner. 

Crossing  over  to  Newport,  about  five  o'clock,  P.  M., 
we  went  to  Gen.  Taylor's,  where  we  found  a  large  party 
assembled,  and  a  most  elegant  and  sumptuous  repast, 
teeming  with  all  the  substantials  and  luxuries  of  the  feast, 
served  up  for  our  reception  and  welcome.  The  Gene 
ral's  residence  is  truly  an  elegant  one  ;  placed  on  a  beau 
tiful  and  commanding  site,  and  set  off  with  ornamental 
grounds,  in  a  manner  creditable  to  the  taste  of  the  pro 
prietor.  Here  wre  passed  upwards  of  an  hour,  enjoying 
the  social  as  well  as  the  festive  banquet ;  the  General,  his 
son,  and  son-in-law,  lavishing  on  us  their  hospitable  atten 
tions,  and  the  whole  company  contributing  to  the  flow  of 
soul.  Just  previous  to  returning,  General  Hayne,  in  re 
sponse  to  a  complimentary  sentiment,  made  a  brief  but 
warm  and  eloquent  acknowledgment  on  behalf  of  himself 
and  his  party,  of  the  generous  hospitalities  of  the  cities  of 
Covington  and  Newport. 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  99 

We  then  re-crossed  the  Ohio,  and  between  s'x  and 
seven  o'clock,  P.  M.,  proceeded  to  the  house  of  E.  S. 
Thomas,  one  of  the  veterans  and  patriarchs  of  the  Amer 
ican  press,  formerly  editor  of  the  Charleston  Cily  Gazette, 
but  now  of  the  Cincinnati  Evening  Post.  Here  again 
we  encountered  the  perils  of  a  liberally  dispensed  hospi 
tality  ;  our  host,  his  son,  Mr.  F.  W.  Thomas,  favorably 
known  to  literature  as  the  author  of"  Clinton  Bradshaw," 
and  "  East  and  West,"  and  his  fair  and  agreeable  daugh 
ters,  uniting,  in  courteous  attention  to  their  guests,  and 
contributing,  by  kindness  and  social  converse,  to  wing 
with  pleasure  the  flight  of  time. 

The  old  gentleman  seemed  literally  to  overflow  with 
delight,  and  grew  young  again  in  the  reminiscences 
of  former  days ;  and,  by  the  way,  a  highly  interesting  se 
ries  of  these  reminiscences  has  already  been  given  to  the 
world  through  the  columns  of  his  paper,  and  he  has  hoards 
of  equal  richness  to  produce  from  his  well  stored  and  re 
tentive  memory.  He  was  personally  acquainted  with 
the  distinguished  head  of  our  party,  and  with  the  fathers 
of  others  of  us  he  had  held  friendly  intercourse  in  by-gone 
days. 

To  Charleston,  and  his  residence  there,  he  recurs  with 
marked  fondness  —  they  are  green  in  his  recollection,  and 
entwined  with  his  affections  —  and  his  daughters,  too, 
share  the  paternal  feeling,  and  claim  with  pride,  Charles 
ton  as  their  birth-place,  although  removal  in  early  child 
hood  has  left  on  their  memory  scarcely  a  single  trace  of 
the  queen  city  of  the  South;  and  his  sons,  too,  own  the 
kindly  infection.  The  next  day,  the  warm  hearted  old 


100  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

gantleman  gave  us,  at  parting,  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
another  son,  who  edits  the  Daily  Herald  in  Louisville 
concluding  with  this  characteristic  injunction,  which  was 
finely  obeyed,  "  they  are  your  father's  friends,  treat  them 
accordingly."  He  is  quite  an  enthusiast  on  the  subject 
of  the  great  Railroad,  and  claims  its  paternity,  on  the 
ground  of  having  been  the  first  to  conceive  the  project  of 
commercial  connection  between  the  queen  cities  of  the 
South  and  West. 

About  eight  o'clock,  P.  M.,  our  "  last,  not  least"  visit 
was  paid  to  Dr.  Daniel  Drake,  a  distinguished  physician 
and  influential  citizen  of  Cincinnati,  at  whose  house  we 
were  again  hospitably  entertained,  and  treated  with  the 
feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul.  Here  a  large  num 
ber  of  citizens,  comprising  much  of  the  worth  and  intelli 
gence  of  the  place,  was  assembled  to  receive  us.  In  the 
assemblage  was  Judge  McLean  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States,  in  form  a  noble  model  of  our  species, 
and  possessed  of  a  fine  address  and  suavity  of  manner, 
and  Judge  Hall,  formerly  the  celebrated  editor  of  the 
Western  Review,  and  author  of  "Letters  from  the  West, 
and  Western  Sketches,"  and  numerous  other  literary  and 
distinguished  men.  On  entering,  we  had  observed  rather 
an  unsightly  stump  in  our  host's  reception  room,  but  it 
soon  became  manifest  that  there  was  both  humor  and 
design  in  it.  The  Doctor  had  resolved  on  both  giving 
and  getting  a  stump  speech,  and  had  therefore  providently 
supplied  himself  with  the  stump  of  the  Buck  Eye  tree  — 
a  tree  from  which  Ohio  derives  the  name  of"  the  Buck 
Eye  State."  In  the  course  of  the  evening  the  Doctor 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  101 

regularly  mounted  the  stump,  and  delivered  an  address, 
and  with  much  humor  and  tact  contrived  to  place  Gene 
ral  Hayne  as  his  successor  on  the  Buck  Eye  Rostrum, 
and  to  draw  from  him  an  admirable  epitome  of  the  Bar- 
bacue  Speech,  demonstrating  the  practicability  and  ad 
vantages  of  the  great  enterprise,  which  promises  the 
commercial  and  social  union  of  the  South  and  West. — 
After  General  Hayne  had  finished  speaking,  Dr.  Drake 
again  mounted  the  stump  and  gave  — 

"  The  Charleston  and  Cincinnati  Bar. — May  they 
soon  exchange  work." 

He  offered  this  sentiment  with  a  view  to  draw  a  speech 
from  some  member  of  the  South  Carolina  bar,  but  a  cry 
soon  arose  that  Mr.  John  C.  Vaughn,  formerly  of  Cam- 
den,  South  Carolina,  but  now  of  Cincinnati,  was  the  pro 
per  person  to  respond  to  the  toast,  as  he  was  a  member 
of  both  the  South  Carolina  and  Cincinnati  bars.  Mr. 
Vaughn  accordingly  took  the  stump,  and  after  a  brief  but 
felicitous  address,  gave  the  following  very  appropriate 
toast  — 

"  May  the  Palmetto  be  soon  engrafted,  by  means  of 
the  Railroad,  on  the  Buck  Eye  Stump." 

Other  toasts  were  given  on  the  occasion,  and  the  fol 
lowing  was  Col.  Elmore's  — 

"  The  South  and  the  West. — May  they  make  mutual 
assaults  on  the  mountain  barrier,  which  separates  them, 
until  it  yields  them  a  free  passage." 

Soon  after,  the  company  dispersed,  delighted  with  the 
social  harmony  of  the  evening ;  and  we  retired  to  our 
hotel,  sober,  although  in  any  thing  but  "  sober  sadness," 


102  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

to  dream  of  the  enjoyments  we  had  experienced,  and  the 
dangers  we  had  passed. 

The  people  of  Cincinnati,  so  far  as  we  could  judge 
from  our  association  with  them,  are  as  enthusiastic  in 
favor  of  the  Railroad,  as  those  of  Lexington.  The  Queen 
of  the  West  invited  the  Q.ueen  of  the  South  to  the  alli 
ance  of  friendship  and  interest — and  the  former  stands 
ready  to  redeem  the  pledge  implied  in  her  invitation, 
whenever  Kentucky  will  do  her  part  towards  the  noble 
enterprise,  which  courts  her  co-operation,  and  thereby 
enable  Cincinnati  to  prove  her  sincerity. 

We  all  regretted  that  our  engagements  and  obligations 
denied  us  the  power  of  passing  but  a  day  in  so  fine  a  city 
and  with  such  a  kindly  people  —  but  it  was  with  us 
"either  one  day  or  none,"  and  we  cheerfully  encountered 
the  fatigue  of  travel  to  obtain  a  sight  of  the  Queen  City 
of  the  West,  and  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  a  single  day,  in 
her  hospitable  bosom.  And  amply  were  we  compensa 
ted,  by  both  pleasure  and  people  —  and  on  our  departure 
we  carried  with  us  the  deepest  and  most  lively  impres 
sions  of  kindness  bestowed  by  a  stranger  people,  and 
left  behind  us  our  most  heart-felt  wishes  for  their  con 
tinued  prosperity  and  happiness. 

I  cannot  close  this  letter  without  expressing  my  deep 
sense  of  attentions  received  from  my  brethren  of  the 
press  in  every  quarter  —  among  whom,  were  Mr.  McKee, 
of  the  Lexington  Observer,  Mr.  Bryant,  of  the  Lexing 
ton  Intelligencer,  Mr.  E.  S.  Thomas,  of  the  Cincinnati 
Evening  Post,  Mr.  Conover,  of  the  Cincinnati  Whig, 
who  formerly  edited  a  paper  in  the  interior  of  South  Car 
olina,  and  Mr.  Thomas,  of  the  Louisville  Daily  Herald. 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  103 

WILLIAM  LOWNDES. 

Written  July  10,  1840. 

IT  often  happens  that  men  pre-eminent  for  talent,  and 
for  the  possession  and  exercise  of  every  manly  and  social 
virtue,  sink  into  their  graves  with  scarcely  a  passing  no 
tice.  The  fate  of  the  great  and  good  man,  whose  name 
heads  this  article,  is,  incomparably,  the  most  striking  in 
stance  I  ever  knew  of  the  kind. 

WILLIAM  LOWNDES,  was  the  third  son  of  Rawlins 
Lowndes,  by  Sarah,  his  third  wife,  and  was  born  in 
Charleston,  S.  C.,  February  7,  seventeen  hundred  eighty- 
two.  He  went  with  his  mother  to  England,  at  the  age 
of  seven  years,  where  he  had  the  benefit  of  the  English 
Grammar  Schools  for  three  years,  and  then  returned 
with  his  mother  to  Charleston,  and  commenced  a  classi 
cal  education  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Simon  Felix  Gallagher, 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  a  man  alike  renowned 
for  great  learning,  and  the  happy  talent  of  communica 
ting  it  to  others ;  who  once  said,  speaking  of  Lowndes, 
when  a  student,  that  "  his  mind  drank  up  knowledge,  as 
the  dry  earth  did  the  rain  from  Heaven."  Under  the 
tuition  of  this  eminent  teacher,  he  continued  until  he  en 
tered  the  office  of  that  distinguished  lawyer,  and  jurist, 
the  late  venerable  Chancellor  DesSaussure,  to  study  law. 

In  September,  eighteen  hundred  and  two,  he  married 
Elizabeth,  eldest  daughter  of  Major  General  Thomas 
Pinckney. 

In  eighteen  hundred  and  four  he  made  overtures  to 


104  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

John  S.  Cogdell,  Esq.,  (who  was  just  rising  into  notice 
at  the  bar,  having  then,  recently,  been  appointed  City 
Attorney,  the  first  appointment  that  was  made  to  that 
office,)  to  join  him  in  the  practice  of  the  law,  to  which 
Mr.  Cogdell  readily  assented,  until  Mr.  Lowndes,  in  the 
most  delicate  manner  possible,  gave  him  to  understand 
that  he  would  not  receive  any  portion  of  the  income  of 
the  office,  that  his  object  was,  to  serve  Mr.  C.  —  to  this 
the  pure  and  high  minded  Cogdell,  promptly  refused  to 
assent,  and  would  hear  to  no  terms,  but  a  perfect  equali 
ty.  Mr.  Lowndes  yielded  to  his  wishes,  and  they  com 
menced  practice  together  under  the  firm  of  Cogdell  &. 
Lowndes.  This  was  in  March,  1804.  The  last  week 
in  September,  or  the  first  in  October,  the  same  year, 
there  was  a  very  destructive  storm,  which  did  much 
damage  to  the  plantations,  and  Mr.  Lowndes,  whose 
planting  interest  was  extensive,  suffered  severely,  so 
much  so,  as  to  make  his  permanent  residence  in  the 
country  necessary  for  some  time.  He  took  leave  of  Mr. 
Cogdell  and  the  office,  remarking,  that "  he  feared  he  had 
not  been  of  much  service  to  him."  Their  friendship  con 
tinued  unchangeable  to  Mr.  Lowndes' death.  Mr.  Cog 
dell  still  lives,  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  health,  vigor,  and 
usefulness,  as  the  President  of  the  "  South  Carolina  Bank." 
There  are  few  better  men,  or  more  useful  citizens,  any 
where. 

In  1806,  Mr.  Lowndes  was  elected  to  the  Le 
gislature  of  his  native  State,  in  which  he  served  two, 
or  three,  terms,  of  two  years  each.  It  was  there  that  the 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  105 

great  powers  of  his  clear,  Ciceronian  mind,  so  conspicu 
ous  in  all  his  after  life,  first  began  to  display  themselves 
in  all  their  wisdom  and  beauty. 

In  October,  eighteen  hundred  and  ten,  he  was  elected 
to  the  eleventh  Congress,  from  Beaufort  District,  and 
continued  in  Congress  until  eighteen  hundred  and  twen 
ty-two,  when  the  want  of  health  compelled  him  to  resign 
his  seat  in  that  body.  When  there,  he  spoke  compara 
tively,  but  seldom,  but  when  he  did  speak,  he  was  listened 
to  as  the  oracle  of  truth.  There  was  nothing  of  the  par 
tisan  about  him  ;  his  language  was  so  pure,  and  his  state 
ments  and  deductions  so  clear  and  correct,  that  none 
pretended  to  dispute  them.  His  sole  object  was  his 
country,  his  whole  country,  and  nothing  but  his  country. 

In  eighteen  hundred  and  eighteen,  or  nineteen,  I  cannot 
say  which,  he  went  to  Europe  for  the  recovery  of  his 
health.  I  was  there  in  eighteen  hundred  and  twenty,  and 
followed  directly  in  his  path.  The  first  question  put  to 
me  upon  almost  all  occasions,  was,  do  you  know  Mr. 
Lowndes  ?  I  took  pleasure  in  answering  that  I  not  only 
knew  him,  but  had  known  him  intimately  from  his  boy 
hood.  His  greatness  and  goodness  were  the  theme  of 
every  tongue.  Mr.  Roscoe  related  to  me  the  following 
anecdote.  Mr.  Lowndes  was  a  very  early  riser,  and  so 
arranged  matters  with  the  porter  of  the  Athenasum,  that 
he  could  huve  admission  at  an  early  hour  —  it  was  here 
he  whiled  away  the  time  until  breakfast.  One  morning 
when  he  was  thus  engaged,  another  gentleman  entered, 
and  from  attraction,  or  some  other  cause,  they  soon  came 
in  contact,  and  got  into  conversation  together,  neither 


106  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

having  any  knowledge  of  the  other.  They  forgot  their 
breakfasts,  and  were  not  aware  how  time  had  passed, 
until  they  found  the  great  room,  in  which  they  were,  rap 
idly  filling  up,  when  they  separated,  still  ignorant  of  each 
other's  names.  Upon  'change,  some  hours  after,  the  En 
glishman  met  Mr.  Roscoe,  and  related  to  him  his  morn 
ing  interview  with  "  the  great  unknown,"  and  observed 
that  he  was  the  tallest  man,  and  the  most  unassuming 
man  he  ever  saw,  and  a  man  of  the  greatest  intellect  he 
ever  heard  speak.  Mr.  Roscoe  immediately  replied,  "  it 
is  the  great  American,  Lowndes,  you  have  been  con 
versing  with  ;  come  and  dine  with  me  to-morrow,  and  I 
will  introduce  you  to  him." 

Immediately  after  his  resignation  in  eighteen  hundred 
and  twenty-two,  he  again  embarked  for  Europe,  accom 
panied  by  his  wife  and  daughter,  and  died  at  sea,  October 
the  twenty-seventh,  eighteen  hundred  and  twenty-two,  in 
the  forty-first  year  of  his  age.  Thus  died  a  man  who  cer 
tainly  left  no  superior,  and  very  few,  if  any,  equals  behind 
him.  That  trait  of  character  in  which  he  excelled  all 
his  cotemporaries,  was  wisdom.  It  was  the  same  trait 
of  character,  in  a  greater  extent,  which  distinguished  the 
Father  of  his  country  from  all  other  men,  in  all  times. — 
When  Mr.  Lowndes  was  applied  to,  to  become  a  candi 
date  for  the  Presidency,  his  reply  was  worthy  of  a 
Washington,  and  should  be  engraven  upon  the  heart  of 
every  American.  «  IT  IS  AN  OFFICE  NEITHER 
TO  BE  SOUGHT  FOR,  NOR  DECLINED."  The 
answer  shows  him  as  he  was  —  among  the  wise,  the 
wisest ;  among  the  good,  the  best. 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  107 

JOHN  GEDDES, 

GOVERNOR  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA  IN  1819  AND  1820. 

Written  July  13,  1&10. 

I  knew  this  gentleman  from  his  youth.  He  was  a  na 
tive  of  Charleston,  where  his  father  kept  a  store,  and  by 
frugality  was  enabled  to  educate  his  son  at  the  college 
in  that  city ;  after  which,  he  studied  law.  Soon  after 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  his  close  attention  to  busi 
ness,  and  highly  popular  manners,  brought  him  a  good 
share  of  practice.  In  a  year  or  two,  he  was  elected  to 
the  legislature,  and  at  his  second  or  third  term,  speaker 
of  the  house,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  his  foes  in 
Charleston,  who  were  neither  few  nor  small.  His  rapid 
rise  was  cause  of  great  mortification  to  the  aristocracy, 
who  hated  him  —  he  was  in  their  way.  He  was  soon  after 
elected  Intendant  of  the  city,  (an  office  synonymous  with 
that  of  mayor,)  and  so  faithfully  did  he  perform  its  oner 
ous  duties,  that  even  his  enemies  confessed  they  never 
had  a  better.  About  this  time,  he  wras  elected  major  of 
cavalry,  and  was  a  very  spirited  and  efficient  officer. 
He  married  a  Miss  Chalmers,  (the  daughter  of  a  very 
wealthy  mechanic,)  by  whom  he  had  a  daughter  and  two 
sons. 

His  business  and  his  popularity  increased  daily,  when, 
in  November,  1818,  he  was  elected  governor  of  the 
state  ;  in  which  high  and  responsible  station,  he  acquitted 
himself  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  constituents.  It 
was  during  his  administration,  that  President  Monroe 
visited  Charleston,  where  he  was  received  and  entertained 


108  REMINISCENCES      OF     THE 

by  Governor  Geddes,  in  a  style  not  equalled  any  where 
else  in  the  United  States.  The  legislature  of  the  state, 
long  after  his  death,  nobly  paid  back  to  his  heirs  a  hand 
some  portion  of  the  large  sum  expended  by  him  on  this 
occasion,  to  do  honor  to  the  State. 

At  the  close  of  his  administration,  or  soon  after,  he  was 
elected  a  major-general,  and  proved  himself  a  skilful 
commander,  and  good  disciplinarian.  His  courage  could 
not  be  doubted ;  it  had  been  tried,  and  not  found  wanting. 

His  house  was  the  abode  of  hospitality.  From  the 
time  he  entered  public  life,  no  man  in  Charleston  kept  a 
better  table,  or  entertained  more  company.  I  was  always 
an  invited  guest,  and  have  frequently  met  judges,  chan 
cellors,  lawyers,  and  field  officers  of  the  military,  at  his 
table,  of  both  political  parties.  A  former  governor, 
Charles  Pinckney,  who  had  been  minister  to  several 
courts  of  Europe,  told  me  that  he  never  saw  a  table 
better  provided  any  where,  than  at  Governor  Geddes. 
I  have  had  some  experience  in  this  way,  and  perfectly 
agree  with  him  in  opinion. 

General  Geddes  was  not  a  very  talented  man,  but  his 
close  attention  to  business,  and  his  great  tact  and  system, 
rendered  him  an  excellent  executive  officer,  and  fully 
supplied  the  want  of  them.  He  was  very  public  spirited, 
active,  and  enterprising ;  a  good  husband,  a  good  father, 
and  a  warm  friend.  I  do  not  know  his  age  at  the  time 
of  his  decease,  which  was  five  or  six  years  ago,  but  think 
he  must  have  been  from  fifty-five  to  sixty. 

The  following  letter  speaks  for  itself. 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  109 


LETTER    FROM    HIS   EXCELLENCY    JOHN    GEDDES. 

Charleston,  January  14,  1819. 

Dear  Sir  —  I  had  the  pleasure  to  receive  your  kind 
favor  of  the  27th  ult.,  on  my  return  from  Columbia,  con 
gratulating  me  on  my  election  to  the  gubernatorial  chair 
of  this  State.  Be  assured  that  a  sentiment  of  approbation 
from  an  old  friend,  who  has  known  me  long  and  inti 
mately,  was  peculiarly  grateful  to  my  feelings  ;  the  more 
especially,  as  I  had  not  had  the  satisfaction  to  receive  a 
line  from  you  for  a  long  period. 

At  the  same  time,  permit  me  to  tender  you  my  most 
sincere  and  cordial  congratulations,  on  your  election  as 
a  member  of  the  legislature  of  Maryland ;  and  to  express 
my  conviction,  that  your  active  and  independent  course 
of  conduct,  for  which  you  have  been  always  distinguished, 
will  be  conducive  to  the  best  interests  of  that  State. 

You  ask  me  whether  the  legislature  of  this  State 
repealed  the  laws  against  usury?  It  wras  a  measure 
much  desired ;  but  in  the  hurry  and  bustle  of  legislation, 
and  there  being  a  great  press  of  other  matter  which  was 
deemed  of  more  importance,  that  subject  was  postponed 
till  next  session.  I  am  inclined  to  view  money  as  a 
commodity,  which  ought  to  bring  its  real  value,  depend 
ing  wholly  on  the  will  of  the  seller  and  purchaser  as  to 
the  price  to  be  given.  My  mind  is  not,  however,  mature, 
so  as  to  decide  on  the  propriety  of  the  measure.  I  am, 
at  this  moment,  raiher  inclined  to  believe  that  it  would 
VOL.  i.  10 


110  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

be  better  for  any  community  to  be  without  restrictive 
laws  on  the  subject. 

Wishing  you,  and  your  family,  health  and  happiness, 
I  am,  dear  sir,  very  respectfully, 

And  most  truly  yours, 
E.  S.  THOMAS,  ESQ.  JOHN  GEDDES, 


DEFENCE  OF  THE  JEWS. 

At  the  request  of  a  friend,  who  has  heard  me  recite 
portions  of  the  following  speech,  and  who  has  read  nearly 
all  my  reminiscences,  I  have  undertaken  to  tax  my  mem 
ory  to  write  out  so  much  of  it  as  I  can  call  to  recollection. 
It  was  delivered  in  the  legislature  of  Maryland,  in  1818, 
upon  the  bill,  so  to  alter  the  constitution  of  that  State,  as 
to  place  the  Jews  upon  an  equal  footing  with  other 
citizens. 

MR.  SPEAKER:  —  I  congratulate  the  House  on  having, 
after  so  many  postponements,  at  last,  got  the  bill  for  the 
relief  of  our  Hebrew  friends  fairly  before  it.  The  disa 
bilities  imposed  by  our  constitution  upon  this  remnant  of 
the  once  chosen  people  of  God,  have  too  long  been  a  blot 
upon  that  instrument,  where  nothing  but  justice,  pure  and 
undefiled,  should  ever  have  had  a  place ;  but  I  trust  the 
time  is  now  near  at  hand  for  wiping  it  out,  and  rendering 
that  justice  which  constitutes  the  first  duty  of  a  Christian, 
"  to  do  as  he  would  be  done  by." 

In  South  Carolina,  where  they  are  very  numerous,  they 


LAST     SIXTY -FIVE     YEARS.  Ill 

have,  from  the  formation  of  its  constitution,  enjoyed  every 
political  privilege  in  common  with  other  citizens.  They 
have  been  called  into  places  of  high  trust  and  power,  both 
in  civil  and  military  capacities,  and  performed  their  du 
ties  as  legislators,  magistrates,  and  military  officers,  with 
credit  to  themselves  and  usefulness  to  the  State.  Arid 
wrhy  should  they  not  ?  Permit  me  to  ask,  what  kind  of 
policy  or  justice  is  that,  which  first  compels  men  to  be 
dishonest,  and  then  punishes  them  for  being  so  1 

From  the  first  dawnings  of  Christianity  to  the  present 
day,  they  have  been  driven  by  persecution,  in  some  shape 
or  other,  from  country  to  country,  throughout  all  Chris 
tendom,  without  a  country  or  a  home  that  they  could  call 
their  own,  until  they  found  the  latter  in  some  of  the  states  of 
this  highly  favored  land,  but  not  in  this  ;  here  they  cannot 
hold  office,  civil  or  military  ;  and  why  ?  because  the  con 
stitution  withholds  from  them  the  right.  Sir,  it  is  to 
amend  that  part  of  the  constitution  which  withholds  from 
them  this  right,  that  I  now  address  this  House. 

I  have  often  heard  it  said,  and  I  believe  it,  that  the  only 
good  article  in  the  original  constitution,  is  that  which 
provides  for  its  amendment.  If  proof  of  this  be  wanted, 
look  at  it  now  ;  it  has  been  so  patched  up  with  amend 
ments,  that  there  is  but  one  man  in  the  State  who 
can  now  tell  what  was  the  original,  and  which  is  the 
patchwork  —  that  man  is  our  venerable  chancellor.  Yes, 
Sir,  I  have  it  from  the  highest  legal  authority  in  the  State, 
that  he  alone  can  tell  the  original  from  the  amendments ; 
and  until  the  people  of  Maryland  are  brought  to  see  the 
necessity  of  a  new  constitution,  and  to  do  away  with 


112  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

those  provisions  of  the  present,  which  are  so  far  behind 
the  age  in  which  we  live,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  legislature 
to  continue  to  amend  it;  and  in  no  in  stance  can  that  duty 
be  exercised  with  a  more  legitimate  right,  than  in  the 
case  now  under  consideration  —  the  emancipation  of  the 
Jews  from  that  political  bondage,  under  which  they  have 
labored  from  the  formation  of  it. 

##**#**          * 

I  know  not  how  it  may  appear  to  others,  but  to  me  it 
appears  strange,  that  in  a  land  of  freedom,  among  a  Chris 
tian  people,  for  such  we  call  ourselves,  and  such  others 
call  us,  this  first  obligation  of  a  Christian  should  have 
lain  so  long  dormant ;  but  so  it  is,  and  instead  of  stopping 
to  inquire  the  cause,  let  us  set  about  remedying  the  evil, 
as  the  only  atonement  we  can  now  offer  for  our  past 
neglect. 

Sir,  it  has  been  said  to  me  by  a  member  of  this  House, 
outside  these  walls,  that  he  could  not  act  with  me  upon 
this  subject.  Had  the  remark  come  from  one  loose  in  his 
principles,  and  vicious  in  his  habits, "  it  would  have  passed 
by  me  as  the  idle  wind  which  I  respect  not ;"  but  coming, 
as  it  did,  from  a  gentleman  unsurpassed  in  correct  prin 
ciples,  and  in  all  those  charities  which  adorn  and  sweeten 
life,  performing,  I  may  say,  with  this  single  exception, 
every  Christian  duty  ;  I  acknowledge  it  surprised  me,  and 
I  asked  him  the  reason;  the  answer  was  prompt,  "Be 
cause,  the  Jews  put  our  Savior  to  death."  Sir,  I  call 
upon  that  gentleman,  and  all  who  think  with  him  upon 
this  subject,  to  pause  and  reflect  upon  the  language  of  our 
Savior  upon  the  cross,  at  that  tremendously  awful  mo- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  113 

ment,  when  the  earth  shook  to  its  centre  ;  when  the  veil 
of  the  temple  was  rent  in  twain,  and  universal  darkness 
shrouded  the  face  of  nature  ;  what  then  was  the  language 
of  our  Savior  upon  the  cross,  to  his  Father  in  Heaven  ? 
"  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 
And  shall  we,  his  humble  followers,  presume  not  to  for 
give  them  ?  The  thought  is  impious. 

Sir,  there  is  one  fact  attending  the  persecution  of  the 
Jews  that  strikes  me  as  worthy  of  particular  notice,  and 
that  is  this,  that  however  much  Christian  sects  of  different 
denominations  differed  with  each  other  upon  all  other  sub 
jects,  they  united  on  this,  of  persecuting  the  Jews  ;  from 
the  frozen  regions  of  northern  Europe,  to  the  burning 
sands  of  southern  Africa  ;  from  the  plains  of  Palestine  in 
the  east,  to  the  wilds  of  America,  far,  far  in  the  west, 
superstition,  bigotry,  but  above  all,  prejudice,  have  fol 
lowed  and  persecuted  the  miserable  Jews.  Yet,  not 
withstanding  the  persecutions  and  prejudices  against 
them,  by  habits  of  economy  and  a  tact  for  trade,  surpass 
ing  that  of  any  other  people,  they  frequently  acquired 
wealth,  which,  not  daring  to  display,  for  fear  of  being 
robbed  of  it  by  their  persecutors,  in  many  instances  in 
creased  to  such  a  great  degree,  as  to  enable  them  to  pur 
chase  indulgences  to  a  certain  extent,  not  permitted  to 
the  mass  of  their  people. 

Sir,  I  recollect  an  anecdote  of  one  who  lived  in  Berlin, 
in  the  reign  of  Frederick  the  Great,  who  was  thus  situa 
ted  ;  his  name  wras  Ephraim  ;  he  was  possessed  of  great 
wealth,  acquired,  in  a  great  measure,  by  indulgences  ;  he 

wished  to  travel,  and  applied  to  the  king  for  permission 

10* 


114  REMINISCENCES    OF    THE 

so  to  do  ;  but  Frederick,  not  doubting  but  that  if  he  trav 
elled,  his  wealth  would  travel  with  him,  wrote  him  the 
following  laconic  refusal: 

"  Dear  Ephraim :  Nothing  but  death  shall  part  us. 

FREDERICK." 

Here  the  absolute  tyrant  displayed  his  power  in  such  a 
manner  as  not  only  to  put  an  end  to  all  further  solicita 
tions  upon  the  subject,  but  to  hold  out  the  idea,  by  his 
manner  of  doing  it,  that  it  was  the  great  regard  he  had 
for  the  Jew,  that  induced  him  not  to  comply  with  his 
request.  It  is  scarcely  possible  for  the  same  number  of 
words  to  be  so  combined  as  to  be  more  pregnant  of 
meaning. 

*******          * 

Of  all  the  writers  in  the  English  language,  or  in  any 
other,  for  aught  I  know,  Shakspeare,  has  been  the  most 
severe  upon  the  Jews.  One  of  his  best  and  most  popular 
plays,  The  Merchant  of  Venice,  is  devoted  to  their  injury, 
of  which  the  following  lines  are  a  specimen,  and  in  such 
beautiful  language  too,  that  they  live  in  the  memory  of 
every  reader. 

"  I  pray  you,  think  you  question  with  the  Jew  : 
You  may  as  well  go  stand  upon  the  beach, 
And  bid  the  main  flood  bate  his  usual  height ; 
You  may  as  well  use  question  with  the  wolf, 
Why  he  hath  made  the  ewe  bleat  for  the  lamb  ; 
You  may  as  well  forbid  the  mountain  pines 
To  wag  their  high  tops,  and  to  make  no  noise, 
When  they  are  fretted  with  the  gusts  of  heaven  ; 
You  may  as  well  do  any  thing  most  hard. 
As  seek  to  soften  that  (than  which  what's  harder?) 
His  Jewish  heart." 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  115 

Here,  sir,  is  a  picture  drawn  by  the  master  hand  of  the 
great  bard  of  nature,  and  such  a  picture,  as  makes  the 
soul  sicken  at  the  fiend-like  monster  it  so  glaringly  por 
trays  ;  but  let  us  for  a  moment  suppose  the  characters  in 
it  reversed  ;  that  the  Christian  should  take  the  place  of 
the  Jew,  and  the  Jew  of  the  Christian ;  and  such,  sir,  are 
the  facts. 

Miss  Edgeworth  informs  us  in  one  of  her  works  (Har 
rington)  that,  "  In  the  TRUE  story,  from  which  ShaJcspeare 
took  the  plot  of  The  Merchant  of  Venice,  it  was  a  Chris 
tian  who  acted  the  part  of  the  Jew,  and  the  Jew  that  of 
the  Christian.  It  was  the  Christian  who  insisted  upon 
having  the  pound  of  Jlesh  from  next  the  Jew's  heart" 
For  the  truth  of  this  statement  Miss  Edgeworth  refers  to 
Stephen's  life  of  Sixtus  the  Fifth,  and  Malone's  Shak- 
speare.  Thus  showing  that  all  the  abusive  epithets 
against  this  persecuted  race,  with  which  this  play  abounds, 
should  have  been  lavished  upon  a  Christian,  instead  of  a 
Jew.  Shylock,  who  figures  so  largely,  and  so  infamously 
in  it,  from  the  days  of  Shakspeare  down  to  the  present 
time,  has  been  held  up  to  view  as  a  fiend  in  human  shape, 
for  whose  reputed  misdeeds  his  whole  race  and  nation 
were  to  be  cursed,  and  persecuted,  through  all  future 
time  ;  but  now  that  the  facts  are  looked  into,  the  whole 
scene  is  reversed.  This  blot  upon  human  nature  was  a 
professed  Christian  ;  I  s  \y  professed,  Mr.  Speaker,  be 
cause  there  was  nothing  of  the  practical  part  of  the  char 
acter  in  his  conduct. 

*******          * 

Sir,  while  the  bill  upon  your  table  reminds  them  of  their 


116  REMINISCENCES     OPT  HE 

degraded  situation  as  men,  in  this  State,  it  also  brings  to 
their  minds,  and  enables  them  duly  to  appreciate,  the 
blessings  they  enjoy  under  the  liberal  policy,  constitution, 
and  laws  of  the  United  States,  which  extends  to  them,  in 
common  with  their  fellow  citizens  ;  the  right  of  worship 
ing  God  agreeably  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  conscien 
ces,  and  of  aspiring  to  offices  of  honor  and  trust,  without 
the  impediment  of  religious  disability,  as  thrown  in  their 
way  by  the  constitution  of  Maryland. 

They  are  grateful  for  the  privileges  they  do  enjoy ; 
not  given  to  complaining.  Wherever  their  lot  has  been 
cast,  through  all  ages,  and  in  all  climes,  long  suffering 
and  forbearance  have  marked  their  character,  as  has  their 
adherence  to  the  religion  of  their  forefathers  ;  at  least  in 
the  observance  of  its  outward  forms,  with  much  more 
strictness,  as  a  people,  than  their  persecutors  can  boast. 

But,  sir,  we  shall  be  told  that  their  habits  are  idle  ;  that 
few  follow  mechanical  pursuits,  and  less  agricultural. 
Admitted:  what  inducements  have  they  ever  had  to 
either,  except  those  whose  lot  it  has  been  to  be  cast  upon 
the  shores  of  the  United  States  ?  None.  On  the  con 
trary,  had  they  turned  their  attention  to  the  mechanic 
arts,  their  progress  in  the  acquisition  of  wealth  could  not 
have  escaped  observation,  and  the  rapacity  of  the  mon- 
archs  under  whom  they  lived,  would  not  long  have  been 
wanting  a  pretext  to  seize  upon  it.  Still  more  would 
they  have  been  exposed,  had  they  taken  to  agriculture ; 
besides,  in  most,  if  not  all  of  the  countries  of  Europe,  they 
have  been  debarred  the  right  to  hold  lands  in  fee. 

It  was  these  circumstances  which  drove  them  to  the 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  117 

necessity  of  getting  their  bread  by  other  means;  and 
what  other  remained  to  them,  but  traffic,  and  that  of  a 
kind  that  made  the  least  show  ?  Hence  they  became 
money  changers,  and  dealers  in  bullion  and  precious 
stones  —  branches  of  business  which  they  almost  entirely 
engrossed,  accumulating  great  wealth  in  many  instances, 
which,  from  its  portability,  and  the  small  space  it  occu 
pied,  was  easily  concealed  from  their  persecutors,  until  by 
occasionally  relieving  the  wants  of  the  government,  when 
under  pecuniary  embarrassments,  they  were  granted 
indulgences,  in  order  to  induce  them  to  greater  exertion 
in  the  acquisition  of  wealth,  that  they  might  be  the  more 
effectually  squeezed  whenever  the  increased  necessities 
of  the  government  required  it. 

I  have  thus,  Sir,  endeavored  to  show  the  causes  which 
drove  them,  from  necessity,  to  adopt  those  means  of  gain 
ing  a  subsistence,  which  are  now  cast  upon  them  as  a 
reproach,  without  any  regard  being  paid  to  that  neces 
sity,  until  it  has  become  to  them  a  second  nature  ;  and  it 
would  be  almost  as  difficult  for  them  to  change  those 
habits,  "  as  for  the  Ethiopian  to  change  his  skin,  or  the 
leopard  his  spots." 

In  conclusion,  Sir,  if  any  thing  that  has  escaped  me 
upon  this  occasion,  should  admit  of  being  construed  into 
the  slightest  disrespect  for  our  holy  religion,  I  beg  to  be 
understood,  that  it  was  not  so  intended.  Far  from  it. — 
The  Christian  religion  is  the  pillar  of  our  faith  and  the 
anchor  of  our  hopes,  without  which,  conscience  would 
swing  from  her  moorings,  and  we  should  all  be  afloat 


118  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

upon  the  ocean  of  uncertainty  ;  without  helm  or  compass, 
until,  tempest  tost,  we  should  be  stranded  upon  the  shores 
of  "that  undiscovered  country,  from  whose  bourne  no 
traveller  returns." 


PROGRESS  OF  THE  NEWSPAPER  PRESS. 

In  1802,  among  a  large  parcel  of  old  books  that  I  pur 
chased  of  an  English  gentleman  in  Charleston,  were  a  se 
quence  of  five  small  folio  volumes  of  the  first  Gazettes  pub 
lished  in  England.  They  were  printed  at  Oxford,  by  order 
of  the  government,  and  commenced  in  November,  1666. 
They  were  in  good  preservation,  each  volume  containing 
one  year's  papers.  The  first  contained  an  account  of  the 
great  fire  of  that  year,  and  a  number  of  articles  on  the  great 
plague  of  the  preceding  year.  There  was  news  in  them 
from  all  parts  of  Europe,  from  some  parts  of  Asia,  and 
from  "  our  colony  of  Virginia"  One  of  the  articles  from 
the  latter  place  gave  an  account  of  the  prospects  of  the 
"  Tobacco  crop"  In  the  making  up  and  arrangement  of 
matter,  they  were  little,  if  any,  inferior  to  the  country 
papers  of  the  United  States  forty  years  ago,  every  arti 
cle  of  intelligence  beginning  with  a  two-line  letter,  as 
ours  did  then. 

Not  duly  appreciating  those  volumes,  which  I  had 
bought  with  others  for  a  mere  trifle,  and  finding  that 
others  put  a  still  less  value  upon  them,  I  determined  to 


LAST    SIXTY-FIVE    YEARS.  119 

take  them  to  London,  (which  I  visited  annually,)  where 
their  value  would  be  duly  appreciated.  I  did  so,  and  left 
them  for  sale  with  my  agents,  Vernor,  Hood  &  Sharp. 
They  failed  soon  after,  and  I  never  heard  more  of  those 
interesting  volumes,  for  what  is  more  interesting  than  a 
volume  of  OLD  newspapers?  —  yet  how  few  there  are 
who  take  the  trouble  to  preserve  them. 

The  material  for  the  best  history  that  could  be  writ 
ten  of  the  last  war,  is  to  be  found  in  the  newspapers  of 
that  period,  which  will  be  invaluable  to  the  future  histo 
rian  of  our  country. 

The  first  newspaper  printed  in  this  country,  was  the 
Boston  News  Letter,  in  1704.  I  have  turned  over  some 
of  those  and  other  antiquated  volumes  of  the  periodical 
press,  which  contain  numerous  interesting  facts  in  our 
Revolutionary  history,  no  where  else  to  be  found. 

The  best,  and  I  believe  the  only  collection,  of  the  news 
papers  of  that  period,  are  to  be  found  in  the  valuable 
Library  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society,  at  Wor 
cester,  Massachusetts,  founded  and  munificently  endowed 
by  the  late  Isaiah  Thomas,  LL.  D.  The  Library  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  at  Boston,  has  some 
also,  and  many  pamphlets  of  the  period  of  which  I 
speak. 

It  is  a  great  misfortune  that  at  the  period  immediately 
preceding  and  during  our  Revolutionary  war,  there  were 
so  few  newspapers,  the  whole  number  probably  not  much 
exceeding  twenty.  Now  there  are  from  ten  to  twelve 
hundred.  What  there  were,  furnished  incomparably  the 
best  accounts,  (particularly  in  their  neighborhood,)  of 


120  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

those  thrilling  events,  which  were  of  such  frequent  occur 
rence,  in  "  the  days  that  tried  men's  souls." 

I  cannot  say  when,  where,  or  by  whom,  i\\e  first  daily 
paper  was  printed  in  the  United  States  ;  but,  if  my 
memory  serves,  the  first  one  published  at  Boston,  was  in 
1792,  or  93,  edited  by  Thomas  Paine,  the  poet,  who, 
after  the  death  of  his  elder  brother,  was  called  Robert 
Treat  Paine,  after  his  father,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  The  paper  was  called  the 
"  Federal  Orrery"  and  did  not  last  long,  I  believe.  It 
was  a  number  of  years  after,  before  another  daily  was 
attempted  in  that  town.  They  had  no  deficiency  of  pa 
pers,  however  —  there  were  the  "  Independent  Chroni 
cle,"  the  "  Centinel,"  the  "  Palladium,"  and  the  "  Gazette," 
all  twice  a  week.  Demy  was  the  common  size  of  a 
newspaper,  in  those  days,  and  when  they  were  enlarged 
to  super-royal,  their  size  was  as  much  a  matter  of  aston 
ishment,  as  the  mammoth  sheets  of  the  present  day. — 
Editors  gave  themselves  little  trouble  about  marine  news, 
shipping  lists,  and  price  currents,  in  those  days.  The 
first  marine  list  published  in  the  United  States,  was  by 
Tom  Allen,  at  New  London,  Connecticut.  I  recol-- 
lect  a  remark  in  it,  during  a  bitter  cold  spell,  some  five 
and  forty  years  ago  —  it  vras  this,  that  "  Heligate  had 
frozen  up,  and  no  vessels  could  pass."  This  place,  for 
merly  so  called,  in  the  East  River,  New  York,  has  its 
proper  cognomen  "  Hurlgate." 

So  late  as  1795,  the  only  notice  that  was  taken  of  ma 
rine  affairs,  in  the  papers  of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  was  their 
arrival  or  departure,  with  the  bare  mention  of  the 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  121 

vessels'  and  captains'  names.  There  were  then  but  three 
papers  in  that  State  ;  two,  daily,  in  the  city,  and  one 
once,  or  twice,  a  week  at  Columbia. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 

Written  July,  1837. 

After  the  organization  of  the  government  under  the 
federal  constitution,  in  1789,  Washington  made  a  tour  of 
the  Eastern  States.  It  was,  on  his  arrival  at  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  in  the  course  of  this  tour,  that  I,  then  a 
boy  of  fourteen,  was  presented  to  him  by  my  distinguished 
kinsman,  Isaiah  Thomas,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of 
shaking  the  hand  of  him  who  was  "  first  in  war,  first  in 
peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen."  I 
never  can  forget  his  words,  or  my  feelings,  on  the  occa 
sion.  "  Young  man,"  said  he,  "  your  uncle  has  set  you 
a  bright  example  of  patriotism  —  and  never  forget,  that, 
next  to  our  God,  we  owe  our  highest  duty  to  our  coun 
try."  The  calm  dignity  of  his  manner,  and  the  mild 
accents  of  his  voice  on  the  occasion,  are  engraven  upon 
my  heart,  and  will  be  as  lasting  as  their  tablet. 

It  has  often  been  asserted  by  his  intimate  friends,  and 
even  by  some  of  his  biographers,  that  few  men  had  the 
nerve  to  approach  him  with  familiarity.  The  following 
anecdote,  illustrative  of  this  fact,  I  have  often  heard 
repeated,  and  its  truth  was  confirmed  to  me  by  gentlemen 
in  New  York,  who  had  the  best  opportunity  of  knowing. 
VOL.  i.  11 


122  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

The  late  Gouverneur  Morris,  in  conversation  with 
some  friends  on  this  subject  one  day,  when  congress  sat 
in  New  York,  and  Washington  occupied  the  house  then 
in  front  of  the  "Bowling  Green,"  denied  the  correctness 
of  this  opinion,  and  offered  to  test  the  truth  of  it  at  once, 
by  joining  him  in  the  garden,  where  Washington  was 
walking,  alone  and  in  their  view.  A  bet  was  m;*de,  and 
Mr.  Morris  went  immediately  into  the  garden  to  decide 
it.  He  approached  the  President  in  the  rear,  and  as  he 
came  up  along  side,  gave  him  a  familiar  tap  on  the  shoul 
der,  at  the  same  time  addressing  him  familiarly  with 
"how  do  you  do,  sir?"  Washington  turned  his  head, 
and  echoed  back  the  question,  with  all  that  dignity  which 
distinguished  him  from  all  other  men.  Morris  was  petri 
fied  ;  and  returning  to  his  frienJs,  declared  that  nothing 
would  tempt  him  to  repeat  the  experiment.  Although 
he  had  been  for  years,  in  almost  daily  intercourse  with 
this  wonderful  man.  and  supposed  he  might  be  approached 
like  other  men  under  similar  circumstances,  he  felt  his 
soul  sink  within  him  at  the  look  and  tone  of  voice  with 
which  his  question  was  answered. 

For  myself,  I  can  only  say,  that  I  have  stood  in  the 
presence  of  kings,  and  sat  at  table  with  princes,  without 
any  of  those  feelings  of  awe  and  reverence,  which  came 
over  me  like  a  summer  cloud  when  in  his  presence, 
although  then  in  the  recklessness  of  boyhood. 

When  I  look  back  on  the  then  infancy  of  our  country, 
with  a  population  of  less  than  three  millions,  and  its  limit 
ed  resources,  and  contrast  the  men  of  those  days  with 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  123 

the  present,  and  its  now  limitless  means,  I  can  scarcely 
realize  the  difference. 

Washington's  style  of  travelling  comported  with  the 
marked  dignity  of  his  character;  on  the  occasion  above 
mentioned,  it  was  as  follows:  —  It  was  his  general  prac 
tice  to  enter  a  town  in  his  chariot,  and  leave  it  on  horse 
back.  His  post-chariot  was  drawn  by  four  beautiful  bay 
horses,  and  drove  by  postillions  in  blanket  coat,  liveries, 
jockey  caps,  buckskins  and  boots ;  while  upon  his  ri^ht, 
on  horseback,  rode  Colonel  Lear,  and  on  his  left,  Major 
Jackson :  next  came  a  light  baggage  waggon,  drawn  by 
two  fine  bay  horses,  driven  by  a  white  man  in  a  round 
corduroy  jacket,  glazed  hat,  buckskins  and  boots;  whilst 
faithful  Billy  brought  up  the  rear,  mounted  on  a  fine  blood 
horse,  and  leading  the  General's  white  charger,  presented 
him  by  Charles  the  Fourth,  of  Spain.  It  was  precisely  in 
this  style  that  I  saw  him  enter  Worcester,  followed  by  a 
cavalcade  of  gentlemen  on  horseback.  When  he  left  it, 
the  only  change  was  that  he  mounted  his  charger  and 
rode  between  his  two  secretaries,  Lear  and  Jackson ; 
while  the  empty  chariot  and  the  remainder  of  his  equip 
age  followed  after,  with  troops  of  horse  and  cavalcades 
of  horsemen,  increasing  as  they  went,  until  they  arrived 
at  Boston. 

It  was  on  his  arrival  at  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  in  the 
course  of  this  tour,  that  an  incident  took  place,  that  would 
have  turned  the  head  of  any  other  man.  It  was  this: 
when  he  arrived  at  the  bridge,  he  was  met  by  a  large 
procession  of  ladies,  all  clad  in  white,  with  baskets  of 
flowers,  with  which  they  strewed  the  way  before  him, 


124  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

singing  a  beautiful  ode,  the  chorus  of  which  was,  "  Strew 
your  herd's  way  with  flowers ! "  When  he  arrived  at 
the  centre  of  the  bridge,  as  he  rode  uncovered  under  a 
triumphal  arch  prepared  for  the  occasion,  unknown  to, 
and  totally  unexpected  by  him,  a  crown  of  flowers,  sus 
pended  from  the  centre  of  the  arch,  was  made  to  drop 
upon  his  head  !  But  what  was  a  crown  to  him,  who  for 
years  had  only  to  have  hinted  that  he  would  accept  one, 
to  have  had  the  glittering  bauble  placed  permanently 
upon  his  brow.  There  were  not  a  few  who  wished,  and 
anxiously  sought  to  place  one  there ;  but  such  was  the 
purity  of  his  whole  life,  and  the  dignity  of  his  mighty 
mind,  none  dared  to  hint  it  to  him,  although  it  was  not 
possible  for  him  to  be  ignorant  of  their  wishes. 

Many  of  those  who  would  have  arrayed  him  in  the 
purple,  were  designing  men,  and  had  their  object  in  it ; 
but  there  were  others,  as  pure  patriots  as  any  who 
breathed  their  last  breath  for  their  country,  such  was 
their  veneration  for  the  man,  his  character  and  services, 
they  would  willingly  have  lent  a  hand  !  Yes  !  the  very 
men,  who,  with  him,  had  toiled  through  a  war  of  seven 
years,  and  suffered  every  privation  to  rid  themselves  and 
their  country  from  monarchical  rule,  would  have  restored 
that  rule  in  his  person,  unmindful  of  who  might  succeed 
him  !  —  but  it  was  his  patriotism  and  wisdom,  that  saved 
our  country  from  what  their  abundant  gratitude  would 
have  fixed  upon  it.  Thus  it  is,  men  will  wade  through 
blood  to  freedom,  then  "  throw  it  like  a  worthless  weed 
away ! " 

That  act  of  his  life,  of  all  others  the  most  important  to 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  125 

his  country,  has  been  less  noticed  than  almost  any  other ; 
yet  it  was  then,  and  there,  that  he  again  saved  his  coun 
try,  under  circumstances  more  threatening  than  any  that 
had  preceded  them.  All  the  toil  that  had  been  suffered, 
all  the  blood  that  had  been  spilt,  would  have  been  suffered 
and  spilt  in  vain,  but  for  his  patriotism,  his  prudence,  and 
his  matchless  wisdom,  when  the  arch  fiend  inspired  the 
writer  of  the  NEWBURG  LETTERS.  At  no  period  of  the 
war  of  independence,  were  the  liberties  of  our  country 
so  suspended  by  a  single  hair,  as  on  that  occasion,  when 
the  war  had  ceased. 

As  long  after  as  in  1798,  the  venerable  General  Lin 
coln  remarked  to  me,  that  it  was  "then  he  trembled  for  his 
country ; "  and  added,  "  no  other  man  could  have  saved 
it."  Elbridge  Gerry  was  present,  and  remarked,  that 
"  the  American  people  would  never  know  how  often 
that  man  had  stood  between  them  and  ruin."  Yet  there 
were  native  sons  of  our  soil,  base  enough  to  calumniate 
his  memory ;  and  thousands,  while  there  are  still  living 
those  who  witnessed  his  unequalled  wisdom  and  patriot 
ism,  who  are  ever  ready  to  sneer  at  his  illustrious  deeds, 
and  undervalue  his  great  services  ! 

When  the  news  of  his  death  reached  England,  parlia 
ment  was  in  session,  and  Mr.  Fox  announced  the  mournful 
tidings  in  a  burst  of  eloquence  and  feeling,  that  was  lis 
tened  to  in  the  most  profound  silence  ;  and  eulogising  his 
inimitable  virtues,  he  pronounced  wisdom  as  that  trait  in 
his  character,  which  distinguished  him  above  all  other 
men. 

The  eulogies  delivered  on  the  occasion  of  his  death, 

11* 


126  REMINISCENCES      OF     THE 

were  numerous,  and  elicited  a  large  portion  of  the  talent 
of  the  country.  The  best  was  that  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Smith,  president  of  Princeton  college.  His  exordium 
commenced  with  this  soul-stirring  sentence:  "Great 
God  !  we  adore  thy  divine  Providence,  which  hath  smit 
ten  the  father  of  his  country,  and  left  a  nation  in  tears." 
The  next,  in  a  philosophical  point  of  view  the  first,  was 
delivered  by  Doctor  Ramsay,  the  historian,  at  Charleston, 
S.  C.  This  gentleman,  at  my  solicitation,  wrote  the  "  Life 
of  Washington,"  and,  as  far  as  I  am  capable  of  judging,  it 
is  among  the  best  pieces  of  biography  in  the  English  lan 
guage,  and  quite  as  deserving  of  being  a  class  book  in 
the  schools,  as  any  that  find  a  place  there. 

It  is  nn  extraordinary  fact,  that  the  life  of  no  man,  of 
any  age  or  nation,  who  has  risen  to  greatness,  ever 
afforded  so  few  anecdotes  as  his. 

One,  however,  I  well  remember  to  have  heard  fre 
quently  spoken  of  soon  after  it  occurred ;  it  was  this : 
directly  after  the  British  were  compelled  to  quit  Boston, 
which  was  besieged  by  Washington,  with  General  Ward 
second  in  command,  General  Ward  resigned  his  com 
mission,  which  circumstance  was  thus  spoken  of  by 
Washington,  in  a  letter  to  congress  ;  "  no  sooner  is  the 
seat  of  war  removed  from  beyond  the  smoke  of  his  own 
chimneys,  than  General  Ward  resigns  his  command." 

About  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  government 
under  the  constitution,  General  Ward  was  informed  of 
this  remark,  and  being  elected  to  the  second  congress, 
soon  after  his  arrival  at  the  seat  of  government,  (then 
New  York,)  he  took  a  friend  with  him  and  called  upon 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  127 

Washington,  and  asked  him  if  it  was  true,  that  he  fiad 
made  use  of  such  language.  The  President  replied  that 
he  did  not  know  ;  but  he  kept  copies  of  all  his  letters,  and 
would  take  an  opportunity  of  examining  them,  and  give 
him  an  answer  at  the  next  session.  Accordingly,  at  the 
next  session  General  Ward  called  again  with  his  friend, 
and  received  for  answer,  that  he  (Washington)  had  writ 
ten  to  that  effect.  Ward  then  said, <;  Sir,  you  are  no 
gentleman"  turned  on  his  heel  and  left  him,  and  here,  of 
course,  the  matter  ended. 

I  have  recently  met  with  the  confirmation  of  an  impor 
tant  fact  I  had  heard  mentioned  nearly  half  a  century 
ago ;  but  I  do  not  know  that  it  has  found  its  way  into 
any  biography  of  Washington.  It  is  this  :  that  Governor 
Johnson,  of  Maryland,  requested  Mr.  John  Adams  to 
nominate  Washington  for  commander-in  chief ;  that 
Adams  seemed  to  decline,  and  Johnson  made  the  nomin 
ation.  At  a  previous  meeting  of  the  New  England  dele 
gation,  to  consult  upon  this  subject,  General  Ward  was 
agreed  upon  with  the  consent  of  every  man  present,  but 
Mr.  Adams,  who  dissented,  and  declared  himself  in  favor 
of  Washington.  Great  God,  how  often  was  the  fate  of 
this  country  suspended  by  a  single  hair?  This  was  one 
of  the  numerous  instances. 

When  Ramsay  wrote  his  biography,  he  sought  in 
vain  among  the  friends  and  neighbors  of  the  illustrious 
dead,  for  those  little  incidents  which  so  often  enliven  the 
page  of  the  biographer. 

In  1797,  Lord  Erskine  wrote  a  book,  in  which  he  intro 
duced  the  name  of  Washington,  and  sent  him  a  copy, 


128  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

with  a  note  to  this  effect,  written  upon  a  blank  leaf  of 
it :  —  "  it  has  been  my  good  fortune,  through  life,  to  be 
associated  with  the  most  talented  and  distinguished  men 
of  Europe  ;  but  you,  sir,  are  the  only  human  being,  for 
whom  I  ever  felt  a  reverential  awe,  totally  unlike  any 
thing  I  ever  felt  towards  any  other  of  the  human  race." 

"  Tell  it  not,  in  Gath,  publish  it  not  in  the  streets  of  Askcdon'' 

The  father  and  saviour  of  his  country,  is  indebted  to  a 
MECHANIC,  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  for  a  tomb  ! ! ! 
This  man  to  whom  Congress,  soon  after  the  Revolution, 
voted  a  statue,  and  having  voted  it,  gave  themselves  no 
further  concern  about  it  —  this  man,  to  whose  memory, 
soon  after  his  death,  another  Congress  voted  a  tomb  and 
monument  in  the  Capitol,  and  even  wrote  to,  and  obtained 
the  reluctant  consent  of,  his  illustrious  relict,  to  the  remo 
val  of  his  remains,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  their  vote 
into  effect ;  but,  having  voted,  and  obtained  the  necessary 
consent,  and  had  their  names  blazoned  abroad  for  their 
patriotism  and  gratitude  to  him  who  was,  among  the 
great,  the  greatest ;  among  the  good,  the  best,  —  the  mean 
wretches  pocketed  their  per  diem  and  mileage,  and  went 
home,  without  making  the  least  provision  for  carrying 
their  resolution  into  effect.  What,  I  will  ask,  must  have 
been  the  feelings  of  that  lady,  (who  was,  in  every  respect, 
worthy  the  great  name  she  bore,)  when,  after  having  been 
prevailed  on  to  part  with  that,  which  of  all  things  was 
most  dear  to  her,  her  husband's  remains,  she  saw  those 
very  men,  who  had  made  such  professions  to  her  of  their 
veneration  for  his  character,  and  gratitude  for  his  servi- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  129 

ces,  break  up,  and  go  home,  without  making  any  provis 
ion  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  great  object,  which  alone 
could  soothe  her  feelings,  for  having  granted  their  request? 
When  I  take  all  the  circumstances  into  view,  I  can 
not  imagine  any' other  feeling  than  that  of  the  most  inef 
fable  contempt,  having  place  in  the  bosom  of  an  insulted 
lady,  upon  such  an  occasion  :  but,  when  I  consider  who 
this  lady  was,  I  may  permit  myself  to  suppose  it  might 
have  been  softened  into  pity.  Well,  be  it  so  ;  they  are 
twin  sisters.  I  have  said  that  our  country  is  indebted  to 
an  individual,  a  mechanic,  for  a  tomb  for  its  saviour  to 
rest  in.  It  is  true,  and  would  to  God  we  had  millions  of 
such  mechanics,  who  have  not  only  the  patriotism  and 
good  sense  to  appreciate  such  services,  but  the  generosi 
ty  to  reward  them  with  a  TOMB.  Yes  !  the  names  of 
WASHINGTON  and  STRUTHERS  will  descend  the 
stream  of  time  together,  until  its  last  wave  is  swallowed 
up  in  the  ocean  of  eternity.  I  hope,  and  trust,  that  no 
relative  of  Washington —  no  proprietor,  in  after  times,  of 
the  Mount  Vernon  estate,  will  ever  suffer  his  remains  to 
be  removed,  under  any  pretext  whatever ;  or  any  monu 
ment  to  be  built  over  them. 

"  THE  TOMB  OF  WASHINGTON. — Many  years  ago,  a 
stranger,  visiting  Mount  Vernon,  pencilled  upon  the  door 
post  of  the  lone  tomb  which  contained  the  remains  of  the 
'  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  coun 
trymen/  the  following  words : 

"  BLUSH,  OH  AMERICANS, 

THAT  THE  TOMB  OF  YOUR  WASHINGTON, 

AFFORDS  NOT  A  SMOOTH  STONE, 

ON  WHICH  WEEPING  GRATITUDE 
CAN    INSCRIBE    HER    VENERATION!" 


130  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

"  Twice,  in  the  course  of  thirty-seven  years,  the  wooden 
coffin  has  been  renewed ;  and  the  vault  containing  it, 
once,  I  believe,  rebuilt.  It  was  at  length  thought  becom 
ing  to  obtain  a  receptacle,  more  permanent  and  respecta 
ble  than  that  of  wood.  Application  was  made  to  Mr. 
Struthers,  a  citizen  of  Philadelphia,  for  the  construction 
of  a  sarcophagus  of  marble.  Mr.  Struthers  entreated 
permission  to  supply  one  without  being  paid  for  it.  It 
was  recently  completed,  and  taken  to  the  sequestered 
spot,  on  the  eastern  slope  of  Mount  Vernon,  selected  for 
a  family  vault,  by  Washington  himself  a  short  time  pre 
vious  to  his  death.  '  The  spot  is  skirted,'  continues  a 
late  newspaper  account,  '  by  a  dense  wood  in  front 
guarded  with  an  iron  gate,  and  Gothic  arch-way,  over 
which  is  the  following  inscription : 

«WITH[N  THIS  ENCLOSURE  REST 

THE   REMAINS    OF 

GENERAL  GEORGE   WASHINGTON." 

"  Over  the  door  of  the  vault  is  a  pannel  bearing  these 
impressive  words  from  St.  John : 

"'  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life  ;  he  that  believeth 
in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live.  And  who 
soever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me,  shall  never  die.' 

"  The  sarcophagus  is  placed  on  the  right  of  the  entrance, 
between  the  outer  wall  and  the  vault,  and  the  ceremony 
of  depositing  the  leaden  coffin  within  the  marble  cavity, 
was  consummated  on  Saturday,  by  Mr.  Strickland,  Mr. 
Struthers,  and  Mr.  Hill,  the  sculptor,  in  the  presence  of 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  131 

Major  Lewis,  John  A.  Washington,  George  Washington, 
Miss  Jane  Washington,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson  and 
lady. 

"  The  construction  of  the  coffin  is  of  the  modern  form, 
and  consists  of  an  excavation  from  a  solid  block  of  Penn 
sylvania  marble,  eight  feet  in  length,  three  feet  in  width, 
and  two  feet  two  inches  in  depth,  resting  on  a  base  of 
plinth,  projecting  round  the  body  of  the  sarcophagus  ;  the 
lid,  or  covering  stone,  is  a  ponderous  block  of  pure  white 
marine,  emblazoned  with  the  insignia  of  the  United  States, 
beautifully  sculptured  in  the  boldest  relief. 

"  The  design  occupies  a  large  portion  of  the  central  part 
of  the  top,  and  represents  a  shield  divided  into  thirteen 
stripes,  resting  on  the  flag  of  our  country,  which  is 
attached  by  cords  to  a  spear,  forming  a  bach  ground  to 
the  shield,  by  which  it  is  supported.  The  crest  is  an 
eagle,  with  open  wings,  just  percning  upon  the  superior 
bar  of  the,  shield,  in  the  act  of  clutching  the  arrows  and 
olive  branch.  Beneath  the  armorial  bearings  and  foot  of 
the  coffin,  upon  the  plain  field  of  the  lid,  is  the  bold  and 
deeply  sculptured  name  of 

WASHINGTON. 

The  foot  of  the  coffin  bears  the  following  inscription  : 
'  By  the  permission  of  Lawrence  Lewis,  surviving  ex 
ecutor  of  George  Washington,  this  sarcophagus  was  pre 
sented  by  John  Struthers,  marble  mason,  A.  D.  1837.' " 

The  following  beautiful  sketch  of  the  character  of 
Washington,  is  from  the  pen  of  the  venerable  and  learned 


132  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

Asher  Robbins,  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  late  a  senator 
of  that  State  in  the  congress  of  the  United  States,  and  one 
of  the  purest  patriots  our  country  ever  produced.  I  have 
known  him  for  upwards  of  forty  years,  and  always  the 
same ;  pure,  studious,  and  patriotic.  His  quitting  the 
councils  of  the  nation  when  he  did,  was  a  subject  of  deep 
regret  to  every  patriot ;  but  his  age  admonished  him,  and 
he  was  compelled  to  obey  the  admonition. 

The  occasion  of  this  beautiful  effusion  was  this  ;  our 
friend  was  dining  with  a  large  party,  in  Washington, 
where  great  conviviality  prevailed  ;  it  happened  to  be  the 
eve  of  Washington's  birth  ;  Mr.  Robbins  sat  silent,  lost 
in  thought,  from  which  he  was  roused  by  being  called 
upon  for  a  toast.  He  rose  and  asked  them  if  they  were 
serious  in  calling  upon  him,  an  old  man,  upon  such  an 
occasion  ;  they  assured  him  they  were  ;  he  then  said,  if  they 
would  aMow  him  a  few  moment's  reflection,  he  would 
give  them  a  toast,  prefaced  with  a  few  remarks.  This 
was  followed  by  a  breathless  anxiety  to  hear  him.  After 
a  few  moments  of  profound  silence,  he  rose  and  thus 
addressed  them : 

"  On  the  near  approach  of  that  calendar  day  which 
gave  birth  to  Washington,  I  feel  rekindling  within  me 
some  of  thoco3  emotions,  always  connected  with  the  recol 
lection  of  that  hallowed  name.  Permit  me  to  indulge 
them  on  this  occasion,  for  a  moment,  in  a  few  remarks  as 
preliminary  to  a  sentiment  which  I  shall  beg  leave  to 
propose. 

I  consider  it  as  one  of  the  consolations  of  my  age,  that 
I  am  old  enough  and  fortunate  enough,  to  have  seen  that 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  133 

wonderful  man.  This  happiness  is  still  common  to  so 
many  yet  among  the  living,  that  less  is  thought  of  it  now, 
than  will  be  in  after  times  ;  but  it  is  no  less  a  happiness 
to  me  on  that  account. 

"  While  a  boy  at  school,  I  saw  him  for  the  first  time  ; 
it  was  when  he  was  passing  through  New  England,  to 
take  the  command-in-chief  of  the  American  armies  at 
Cambridge.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  impression  his 
imposing  presence  then  made  upon  my  young  imagina 
tion,  so  superior  did  he  seem  to  me,  to  all  that  I  had  seen 
or  imagined  of  the  human  form,  for  striking  effect.  I 
remember  with  what  delight,  in  my  after  studies,  I  came 
to  the  line  in  Virgil,  that  expressed  all  the  enthusiasm  of 
my  own  feelings,  as  inspired  by  that  presence,  and  which 
I  could  not  often  enough  repeat : 

"  Credo  equidein,  nee  vara  fides,  genas  esse  deorum." 

"  I  saw  him  again  at  his  interview  with  Rochambeau, 
when  they  met  to  settle  the  plan  of  combined  operations 
between  the  French  fleet  and  the  American  armies, 
against  the  British  on  the  Chesapeake ;  and  then  I  saw 
the  immense  crowd  drawn  together  from  all  the  neigh 
boring  towns,  to  get,  if  possible,  one  look  at  the  man  who 
had  throned  himself  in  every  heart.  Not  one  of  that 
immense  crowd  doubted  the  final  triumph  of  his  country 
in  her  arduous  conflict ;  for  every  one  saw,  or  thought 
he  saw,  in  Washington,  her  guardian  angel,  commissioned 
by  Heaven  to  insure  her  that  triumph.  Nil  desperandum 
was  the  motto  with  every  one. 

"  Nil  desperandum,  Teucro  duce,  auspice  Teucro." 
VOL.    I.  12 


134  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

"  In  after  life,  when  the  judgment  corrects  the  extrava 
gance  of  early  impressions,  I  saw  him  on  several  occa 
sions,  but  saw  nothing  at  either  to  admonish  me  of  any 
extravagance  in  my  early  impressions.  The  impression 
was  still  the  same  ;  I  had  the  same  overpowering  sense 
of  being  in  the  presence  of  some  superior  being. 

"  It  is  indeed  remarkable,  and  I  believe  unique,  in  the 
history  of  men,  that  Washington  made  the  same  impres 
sion  upon  all  minds,  at  all  places,  and  at  once.  When 
his  fame  first  broke  upon  the  world,  it  spread  at  once 
over  the  whole  world.  By  the  consent  of  mankind  — 
by  the  universal  sentiment  —  he  was  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  human  species ;  above  all  envy,  because  above  all 
emulation ;  for  no  one  then  pretended,  or  has  pretended 
to  be  —  at  least  who  has  been  allowed  to  be  —  the  co- 
rival  of  Washington  in  fame. 

"  When  the  great  Frederick,  of  Prussia,  sent  his  portrait 
to  Washington,  with  this  inscription  upon  it,  "  from  the 
oldest  General  in  Europe,  to  the  greatest  General  in  the 
world,"  he  did  but  echo  the  sentiment  of  all  the  chivalry 
of  Europe.  Nor  was  the  sentiment  confined  to  Europe, 
nor  to  the  bounds  of  civilization :  for  the  Arab  of  the 
desert  talked  of  Washington,  in  his  tent ;  his  name  wan 
dered  with  the  wandering  Scythian,  and  was  cherished 
by  him  as  a  household  word,  in  all  his  migrations.  No 
clime  was  so  barbarous  as  to  be  a  stranger  to  the  name ; 
but  every  where,  and  by  all  men,  that  name  was  placed 
at  the  same  point  of  elevation,  and  above  compeer.  As 
it  was  in  the  beginning,  so  it  is  now  —  of  the  future  we 
cannot  speak  with  certainty.  Some  future  age,  in  the 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  135 

endless  revolutions  of  time,  may  produce  another  Wash 
ington  ;  but  the  greater  probability  is,  that  he  is  destined 
to  remain  forever,  as  he  now  is,  the  phoenix  of  the  human 
kind. 

"  What  a  possession  to  his  country  is  such  a  fame  !  — 
Such  a 

"  Clarum  ct  venerabile  nomen 
Genlibus .' " 

"  To  all  his  countrymen  it  gives,  and  forever  will  give, 
a  passport  to  respect,  wherever  they  go,  to  whatever 
part  of  the  globe  ;  for  his  country  is,  in  every  other,  iden 
tified  with  that  fame. 

"  What,  then,  is  incumbent  upon  us,  his  countrymen  ? 
Why,  to  be  such  a  people,  as  shall  be  worthy  of  such  a 
fame  —  a  people  of  whom  it  shall  be  said,  *  No  wonder 
such  a  People  have  produced  such  a  man  as  Washing 
ton.'  I  give  you,  therefore,  this  sentiment : 

"  The  memory  of  Washington. — May  his  countrymen 
prove  themselves  a  people  worthy  of  his  fame." 

In  my  opinion  this  approaches  nearer  to  the  true  char 
acter  of  Washington,  than  any  thing  that  has  preceded 
it ;  but,  we  are  yet  only  beginning  to  learn  his  character. 
As  the  great  Charles  James  Fox  once  said  to  me,  "  had 
any  other  nation  possessed  your  Washington,  they  would 
have  deified  him." 

I  will  conclude  my  subject  with  the  following  tribute 
to  his  memory,  by  Robert  Treat  Paine,  in  his  poem  on 
"  The  Invention  of  Letters." 


136  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

Could  Faustus  live,  by  gloomy  grave  resigned, 

With  powers  extensive,  as  sublime  his  mind  ; 

Thy  glorious  life  a  volume  should  compose, 

As  Alps  immortal,  spotless  as  its  snows. 

The  stars  should  be  Us  type,  its  press  the  age, 

The  earth  its  binding,  and  the  sky  its  page; 

In  language  set,  not  Babel  could  o'erturn, 

On  leaves  impressed,  which  Omar  could  not  burn, 

Tiie  sacred  volume  in  Heaven's  high  dome  should  stand, 

Shine  with  its  suns,  and  with  its  arch  expand; 

'Till  nature's  self  the  Vandal  torch  shall  raise, 

And  this  vast  alcove  of  creation  blaze." 


From  the  New   York  Sunday  Morning  News. 
AUTHENTIC  OCCURRENCE  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

ANDRE  AND  ARNOLD. — Some  days  since,  while  in 
company  with  Samuel  Cassedy,  Esq.,  of  Jersey  city,  he 
related  to  us  the  following  anecdote,  connected  with 
Gen.  Washington.  As  every  record  of  our  Revolution 
is  eagerly  treasured,  and  especially  respecting  Arnold's 
treason,  and  this  may  be  so  definitely  relied  on,  we  re 
quested  Mr.  Cassedy  to  give  it  to  us  in  such  a  shape  as 
would  present  intrinsic  evidence  that  it  could  be  relied 
on  —  which  would  be  best  effected  by  his  permitting  the 
relation  to  emanate  from  himself,  with  his  name  attached. 
To  this  publicity,  it  is  but  justice  to  him  to  remark,  that 
he  strongly  objected,  but  was  persuaded  by  our  earnest 
entreaties. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Sunday  Morning  News: 

DEAR  SIR —  In  compliance  with  your  request,  I  com 
mit  to  paper  some  details,  given  to  me,  a  few  years  ago, 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  137 

by  the  late  Governor  Ogden,  of  New  Jersey,  in  regard  to 
an  offer  made  by  Gen.  Washington  to  Sir  Henry  Clin 
ton,  to  give  up  Andre  if  the  Americans  could  capture 
Arnold. 

I  well  recollect  hearing  my  father  say  it  was  generally 
believed,  in  the  American  army,  that  such  an  offer  had 
been  made.  On  mentioning  this  to  Governor  Ogden,  he 
immediately  said,  he  had  reason  to  believe  that  the  offer, 
if  any  there  was,  was  made  through  him.  I  requested 
him  to  tell  me  the  particulars  —  which  he  did,  as  nearly 
as  I  can  recollect,  as  follows : 

"  The  American  army  lay  at  West  Point,  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  the  British  were  in  possession  of  New 
York,  at  the  time  of  the  capture  of  Andre.  I  received 
an  order  to  repair,  the  next  morning,  at  eight  o'clock  to 
Gen.  Washington's  head-quarters,  with  twenty-five  horse 
—  the  finest  looking  that  I  could  select.  I  repaired 
thither  at  the  hour  appointed.  Gen.  Washington  handed 
me  a  letter  for  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  with  directions,  that 
before  I  left  the  camp  for  New  York.  I  should  call  and 
see  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette.  The  letter  of  General 
Washington  was  probably  on  some  subject  not  at  all 
connected  with  the  real  object  of  my  journey. 

"  I  went  to  the  Marquis'  quarters,  and  he  said  to  me  — 
*  You  must  set  off  at  such  a  time  of  day,  as  will,  of  neces 
sity,  make  it  near  night  when  you  get  to  Pawles  Hook, 
when  the  commanding  officer  will,  no  doubt,  invite  you 
to  stay  all  night ;  and  you  must  insist  on  delivering  that 

letter  into  the  hands  of  the  commanding  officer  there. — 

12* 


138  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

You  must  tell  him,  privately,  that,  "  If  we  can  capture 
Arnold,  Andre  will  be  reprieved ;"  and  that  you  have  a 
high  authority  for  saying  so.' 

"I  left  the  camp  with  my  twenty-five  horse,  and  reached 
the  foot  of  the  Bergen  hill  about  sundown.  There  was 
a  strong  fence  drawn  across  the  causeway,  and  we  halted. 
I  stated  that  I  had  a  letter  for  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  from 
Gen.  Washington,  and  that  my  orders  were,  to  deliver  it 
into  the  hands  of  the  commanding  officer  at  Pawles  Hook, 
and  to  no  one  else. 

"  We  were  immediately  admitted,  our  horses  taken 
care  of,  and  in  the  evening,  after  delivering  the  letter,  I 
was  invited  to  a  supper  with  the  officers  there.  I  was 
seated  on  the  right  of  the  commanding  officer  and  some 
time  elapsed  before  I  had  an  opportunity  of  delivering 
the  message  from  the  marquis.  I  said  to  him,  I  am  au 
thorized  to  say,  that  if  the  Americans  can  capture  Arnold, 
Andre  will  be  reprieved.  He  seemed  thunderstruck  - 
and  immediately  answered,  '  that  must  be  immediately 
attended  to.  I  will  go  over  and  see  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 
Do  you  sit  still,  and  let  it  appear  as  if  I  have  only  gone 
out  for  a  moment  on  some  ordinary  matter  of  business.' 
He  was  gone  about  two  hours,  and  returned  and  took  his 
seat.  As  soon  as  he  had  an  opportunity  to  speak  to  me 
privately,  he  said,  *  Sir  Henry  Johns  says  a  deserter  never 
was  given  up.' " 

This  statement  is  as  exact  as  I  can  repeat  it  from  me 
mory,  it  having  been  made  to  me,  by  Governor  Ogden? 
from  eight  to  ten  years  ago.  I  commit  this  to  writing 
at  your  particular  request  —  as  you  thought  the  circum- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  139 

stances  ought  not  to  be  lost  —  and  that  they  should  ap 
pear  in  an  authentic  shape.  While  Gov.  Ogden  was 
living,  I  thought  it  his  sole  province  to  do  as  he  pleased 
in  relation  to  this  Revolutionary  reminiscence  ;  but  as  he 
is  no  more,  I  see  no  impropriety  in  what  I  am  now  doing. 
You  will  bear  me  witness,  Mr.  Editor,  that  I  wished  you 
to  publish  the  narrative  without  my  name  attached  to  it ; 
and  that  my  subscribing  my  Lame  at  all,  is  because  you 
urged  me  to  do  so. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

SAM'L  CASSEDY. 
Jersey  City,  Nov.  4.  1839. 


EDINBURGH  IN  1803. 

Written  February,  1840. 

In  July,  1803,  I  left  London  for  Scotland,  taking  Bir 
mingham  and  Derby  in  my  way.  I  got  into  the  great 
north  road  before  I  reached  Doncaster,  and  had  to  wait 
for  the  London  mail  coach  for  Edinburgh.  I  had  not 
waited  long  when  it  made  its  appearance,  but  had  no 
vacant  seat,  except  outside  with  the  driver.  I  was  un 
well  at  the  time,  and  soon  found  my  situation  very 
uncomfortable ;  so  much  so,  that  I  told  the  driver,  I 
would  stop  at  the  first  public  house  we  came  to.  He 
mentioned  my  situation  to  the  four  gentlemen  within, 
when  one  immediately  proposed  that  they  should  take 
me  inside  to  York,  only  fifteen  miles  distant,  which  was 


140  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

instantly  agreed  to.  The  gentleman  who  made  the  pro 
position,  was  an  invalid,  as  well  as  myself;  and,  before 
we  arrived  at  York,  suggested  that  himself,  and  a  gen 
tleman  belonging  to  Glasgow,  with  myself,  should  quit 
the  mail  at  York,  and  take  a  post  chaise,  and  travel  as 
suited  our  convenience ;  which  was  at  once  acceded  to. 
Accordingly,  when  we  arrived,  at  10  P.  M.  we  all  retired 
to  rest,  with  the  understanding  that  we  should  not  depart 
until  the  next  day  (Sunday)  afternoon.  I  rose  early 
next  morning,  and  took  a  walk  about  this  ancient  city, 
which  the  reader  will  find  described  in  my  last  tour  in 
England  in  1820. 

In  the  afternoon  we  took  our  departure,  and  the  next 
forenoon  arrived  at  Alnwick,  and  visited  the  castle  of 
that  name,  one  of  the  four  princely  establishments  of  the 
duke  of  Northumberland.  A  law  had  then  recently  been 
passed,  requiring  the  lord-lieutenants  of  counties  to  reside 
in  their  governments,  in  apprehension  of  the  threatened 
invasion  of  the  French ;  consequently,  the  castle  had 
been  put  in  order  for  his  grace's  reception,  who  had  not 
visited  it  for  five  years. 

I  must  here  digress  for  a  moment,  to  make  the  reader 
acquainted  with  my  travelling  companions. 

The  invalid  gentleman  was  Mr.  Carr,  secretary-gene 
ral  to  the  post  office  for  Scotland  ;  he  was  returning  from 
a  visit  to  the  general  post  office  in  London,  where  he 
had  been  to  settle  his  annual  accounts.  A  more  valuable 
acquaintance  I  could  not  have  made  ;  he  knew  every 
object  upon  the  road  worth  the  traveller's  attention,  and 
would  not  suffer  me  to  pass  any  of  them  unseen. 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  141 

The  other  gentleman  was  a  merchant  of  Glasgow, 
whose  name  1  have  never  been  able  to  recollect  since 
1  parted  with  him  on  our  arrival  at  Edinburgh. 

To  return  to  the  castle :  —  we  entered,  through  the 
port-cullis,  a  large  court-yard,  on  one  side  of  which  stood 
the  castle ;  the  whole  walled  in  with  a  high  and  thick 
stone  wall,  on  the  top  of  which  were  many  statues, 
roughly  wrought  in  rough  stone,  each  having  in  its  hands 
a  piece  of  rock,  or  other  missile,  ready  to  hurl  at  an  inva 
ding  foe.  On  a  beautiful  lawn  was  a  park  of  six  pieces 
of  brass  artillery,  with  all  their  equipments  in  the  most 
perfect  order. 

While  viewing  these,  we  were  wailed  upon  by  the 
steward,  and  invited  to  visit  the  interior  of  the  castle  — 
(the  ducal  family  had  not  arrived.)  He  first  conducted 
us  through  a  long,  narrow,  stone  passage,  into  a  room 
about  fifteen  feet  square,  and  as  many  high,  with  a  win 
dow  at  top,  which  let  in  just  light  enough  to  make  dark 
ness  visible.  In  the  centre  of  the  room,  our  conductor 
placed  his  foot  upon  a  spring,  when  a  trap  door  flew 
open,  and  exhibited  an  entrance  to  a  dungeon  beneath  of 
great  depth,  into  which  light  never  entered.  When  the 
old  steward  closed  the  trap  door,  he  remarked,  "  many  a 
miserable  wretch  has  groaned  out  his  existence  there." 
This  castle  is  one  of  the  very  few  that  have  been  kept 
in  as  perfect  a  state  as  when  the  last  finish  was  put  to  it. 

We  were  now  conducted  to  the  apartments  of  state. 
The  drawing  room  was  by  far  the  most  splendidly  fur 
nished  room  I  ever  saw.  The  library  room  contained 
two  billiard  tables,  one  small  for  ladies'  use  ;  and,  as  nigh 


142  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

as  I  could  estimate  them,  about  five  thousand  volumes  of 
books,  many  of  which  were  folios,  and  did  not  appear  to 
have  been  much  used,  although  very  old.  The  selection 
was  any  thing  but  choice. 

The  only  apartment  that  remains  to  be  spoken  of,  is 
the  chapel ;  one  side  of  which  was  taken  up  with  the 
family  arms  of  the  Percy's,  and  those  with  whom  they 
had  quartered  for  a  number  of  hundred  years  back. 

We  left  Alnwick  and  arrived  about  sunset  at  Berwick, 
upon  Tweed.*  Here  we  supped,  and  then  pursued  our 
journey,  fifteen  miles,  to  a  lone  inn  upon  the  heath,  where 
we  took'  lodgings  for  the  night.  At  day  light,  the  next 
morning,  we  re-commenced  our  journey  through  a  dense 
Scotch  mist,  over  a  barren  heath,  which  so  operated  upon 
the  spirits  of  all  three  of  us,  that  not  a  word  was  spoken 
for  several  miles.  At  length,  Mr.  Carr  broke  silence  by 
observing,  we  were  nearing  the  Devil's  bridge,  which  is 
considered  quite  a  curiosity,  and  we  must  stop  and  view 
it.  It  consists  of  a  single  arch  of  stone  over  a  deep 
chasm ;  we  got  out  of  our  carriage,  and  took  a  winding 
path  which  led  us  directly  under  the  arch,  elevated  more 
than  a  hundred  feet  above  our  heads  ;  the  view  upwards 
was  very  imposing:  in  heavy  rains  an  immense  quantity 
of  water  passes  under  this  bridge,  sweeping  the  vales 

*  Tliis  ancient  town  possesses  some  singular  privileges,  allowed  it  for 
its  loyaky  and  sufferings,  in  the  wars  between  England  and  Scotland ; 
for  instance,  it  is  not  bound  by  acts  of  parliament,  unless  specially 
named  in  the  act,  the  words  of  which  must  read  thus, "  our  United  King 
dom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  our  town  of  Berwick,  upon 
Tweed."  The  latter  part  of  the  sentence  was  omitted,  in  the  celebrated 
ten  per  cent,  income  tax  law,  and  Berwick  escaped  the  tax.  It  has  other 
privilegesj  which  I  cannot  call  to  mind  distinctly. 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  143 

below  ;  it  was  then  dry.  Continuing  our  journey,  we 
arrived  at  Haddington  to  breakfast.  It  is  a  very  ancient 
town,  and  the  inn  at  which  we  stopped  appeared  to  be 
among  the  oldest  of  its  buildings  ;  on  going  to  enter  it 
my  head  struck  against  the  beam  over  the  door,  which 
brought  forcibly  to  my  mind  a  remark  made  to  Franklin, 
under  similar  circumstances,  by  the  celebrated  Cotton 
Mather  ;  "  young  man,"  said  he,  "  stoop  as  you  go  through 
the  world,  and  you  will  save  yourself  many  a  hard  knock." 
The  mist  disappeared  and  the  day  was  fine,  while  the 
beautiful  country  of  Midlothian  presented  to  our  view 
the  finest  cultivated  district  in  Scotland. 

The  fear  of  invasion,  by  the  French,  had  induced  the 
government  to  arm  the  people,  for  which  purpose  three 
hundred  thousand  stand  of  arms  were  taken  from  the 
tower,  and  distributed  among  the  volunteers  in  England 
and  Scotland.  Their  training  had  just  commenced,  and 
I  saw  numerous  samples  of  their  attempting  to  go  through 
the  mere  a,  b,  c,  of  military  tactics,  in  a  manner  that 
would  have  disturbed  the  gravity  of  a  Spaniard.  How 
could  it  be  otherwise  ?  Most  of  them  had  never  handled 
a  musket  before :  it  was  not  their  fault.  We  passed 
Musselborough,  where  there  were  encamped  an  army  of 
regulars,  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  men. 

The  site  of  the  camp  was  very  favorable  and  the 
whole  made  an  imposing  appearance,  as  we  viewed  them 
from  a  neighboring  eminence.  In  the  afternoon  we  arri 
ved  at  Edinburgh,  where  we  separated  ;  my  friend  Carr 
to  his  home,  the  merchant  continued  his  journey  to  Glas 
gow,  and  I  took  up  my  quarters  at  McGregor's  hotel,  next 


144  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

the  Register  office,  on  Princes  street,  in  the  now  city ; 
where  I  had  a  well  furnished  parlor  and  bedroom,  with 
an  old  female  servant  to  attend  my  biding ;  but  neither 
eatables  nor  drinkables  ;  those  I  must  provide  for  myself. 
The  plan  was  new  to  me,  but  I  became  soon  reconciled 
to  it ;  the  old  domestic  received  the  money  and  my  orders 
from  me  every  morning,  for  marketing,  and  I  gave  myself 
no  further  trouble  about  ;t,  until  it  was  well  cooked  and 
handsomely  served  upon  my  table. 

After  dinner,  I  walked  out  to  see  five  thousand  volun 
teers  go  through  their  exercise,  and  a  sad  piece  of  work 
they  made  of  it ;  b,..t  I  saw  them  frequently  after,  and 
found  that  they  improved  fast  in  discipline.  The  next 
morning  my  friend,  Mr.  Carr,  for  such  he  really  was, 
called  upon  me5  and  while  he  was  with  me,  Mr.  Consta 
ble,  Sir  Walter  Scott's  publisher,  Mr.  Creech,  Doctor 
Benjamin  Bell,  Sir  John  Ladd,  Bart.,  and  a  number  of 
other  gentlemen  called  ;  for  all  this  attention  I  was  solely 
indebted  to  Mr.  Carr,  who  the  next  day  went  with  me  to 
the  Register  office,  where  he  'ntroduced  me  to  the  Lord 
Provost,  Robertson,  who  remarked  to  me,  that  making  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  Carr,  would  be  cf  more  service  to 
me  than  letters  to  half  the  nobility  of  Scotland,  such  was 
the  high  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  all  who 
knew  him.  I  cannot  qi.il  the  Register  office  without 
noticing  so  excellent  an  establishment.  It  was  a  large, 
handsome  stone  building,  with  a  dome,  around  which 
were  innumerable  large  pigeon  holes,  each  of  which  con 
tained  the  titles  to  an  estate,  as  it  hod  descended  from  gen 
eration  to  generation,  and  the  whole  fire  proof. 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  145 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Carr,  with  a  party  of  upwards  of 
twenty,  among  whom  were  all  those  above  named.  The 
only  lady  at  table  was  Mrs.  Carr,  who,  in  acts  of  kind 
ness  and  attention  to  her  guests,  could  not  be  surpassed 
by  her  excellent  husband.  Her  broad  Scotch  dialect  was 
rather  pleasing  than  otherwise,  in  which  she  was  com 
pletely  kept  in  countenance,  however,  by  several  of  the 
gentlemen  present.  This  was  but  the  commencement  of 
a  round  of  entertainments,  in  which  I  was  in  danger  of 
being  killed  with  kindness.  Accustomed  as  I  had  been 
to  hospitality,  in  Boston,  Charleston,  London,  and  other 
places,  I  had  never  before  met  with  such  a  flood  as 
poured  in  upon  me  on  this  occasion. 

Sir  John  Ladd,  Bart.,  lived  in  the  Highlands,  where 
he  had  the  most  extensive  sheep  walks  in  the  kingdom. 
He  insisted  that  I  should  take  a  seat  with  him  in  his  post 
chariot  and  four,  and  go  and  spend  a  week  with  him  on 
his  estate,  an  invitation  I  would  readily  have  accepted, 
had  it  not  interfered  with  other  arrangements.  Sir  John 
would  not  let  me  off,  however,  until  I  agreed  to  be  there 
in  the  month  of  June,  the  following  year,  and  with  Mr. 
Carr,  and  Doctor  Benjamin  Bell,  go  and  pass  a  week 
with  him.  This  was  acquiesced  in  by  all  four  of  us,  but 
circumstances,  over  which  I  had  no  control,  prevented 
my  visiting  Europe  the  next  year,  consequently  this,  like 
many  other  agreeable  anticipations  of  life,  was  frustrated. 

I  was  lame,  and  confined  to  my  room,  for  three  weeks 
of  the  time  I  was  in  Edinburgh ;  but  the  pleasant  loca 
tion  of  my  parlor,  looking  out  upon  the  beautiful  and 
fashionable  promenade  of  Princes  street,  and  the  London 

VOL.  I.  13 


146  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

papers,  which  Mr.  Carr  either  brought,  or  sent  to  me, 
every  morning,  with  the  attention  of  Mr.  Constable,  w7ho 
brought  me  the  first  number  of  the  Edinburgh  Review, 
then  but  a  few  weeks  published,  and  other  periodicals, 
together  with  a  constant  flow  of  visitors,  among  whom 
were  Mr.  Murray,  Consul  General  of  the  United  States 
for  Scotland,  and  Mr.  Cassels,  vice  consul  for  Leith,  who, 
with  his  amiable  lady,  were  old  acquaintances,  my  time 
passed  quite  agreeably.  As  soon  as  I  was  able  to  go 
abroad,  Doctor  Bell,  who  attended  me  professionally,  took 
me  out,  to  spend  the  day  with  him,  at  his  splendid  man 
sion,  two  or  three  miles  from  town  —  the  same  that  had 
been  the  residence  of  the  celebrated  Doctor  Sandy  Mon 
roe.  I  spent  a  most  agreeable  day.  Daring  dinner,  the 
Doctor  related  the  following  singular  coincidence,  which 
a  German  gentleman,  who  had  passed  the  day  with  him, 
but  a  few  weeks  before,  related  to  him.  Three  years 
before,  the  German  was  at  the  bay  of  Naples,  engaged 
in  taking  sketches  of  its  unequalled  scenery,  when  he  fell 
in  with  an  English  gentleman,  employed  in  the  same 
way.  After  the  slight  acquaintance  thus  brought  about 
by  a  similarity  of  taste,  they  separated,  and  their  next 
meeting  was  upon  the  Carlton  Hill,  near  Edinburgh,  a 
few  days  before.  They  recognized  each  other,  and, 
upon  comparing  notes,  they  found  they  had  been,  on  the 
same  day,  on  the  top  of  the  new  State  House,  ir.  Boston, 
on  the  Hill  of  Howth,  near  Dublin,  and  upon  Richmond 
Hill,  near  London,  and  always  engaged  in  the  same  em 
ployment,  sketching  the  beautiful  scenery  that  surrounded 
them.  They  both  classed  those  splendid  views  in  the 


LAST    SIXTY-FIVE    YEARS.  147 

following  order :  first,  the  Bay  of  Naples ;  second,  the 
view  from  the  Boston  State  House  ;  third,  that  from 
the  Carlton  Hill ;  fourth,  from  the  Hill  of  Howth ;  and 
fifth,  from  Richmond  Hill.  My  knowledge  only  extends 
to  three  of  them,  in  which  I  heartily  concur  with  those 
gentlemen.  On  the  Carlton  Hill  I  noticed  a  monument 
to  the  memory  of  Hume,  which  was  built  of  large  blocks 
of  stone,  bolted  to  each  other,  to  prevent  the  Presbyteri 
ans  from  pulling  it  down,  as  I  was  told. 

The  Castle  of  Edinburgh  is  a  national  fortress,  which 
never  vomits  fire  and  smoke,  save  when  the  Tower  of 
London  sets  the  example.  This  happened  once  while  I 
was  there  —  the  occasion,  was  the  capture,  by  the  British 
forces,  of  some  paltry  little  island  in  the  West  Indies. 

Few  things,  in  Edinburgh,  attract  the  attention  of  the 
stranger  more  forcibly,  than  the  view  from  the  great 
bridge,  which  unites  the  old  city  with  the  new.  On 
looking  down  over  the  heavy  stone  balustrade,  upon  the 
tops  of  houses  built  in  the  ravine  below,  a  distance  of 
more  than  a  hundred  feet,  the  appearance  is  most  singu 
lar  and  interesting.  The  College  is  a  large,  modern 
stone  edifice,  having  a  magnificent  portico,  the  pillars  of 
which  are  of  uncommon  height  and  size,  and  each  of  a 
single  piece.  There  were  upwards  of  seventeen  hundred 
students,  and  only  seventeen  of  them  Americans.  From 
the  college,  I  went  to  view  the  house  where  Robertson, 
the  great  historian,  wrote  his  immortal  works,  which 
gave  an  interest  to  the  building,  without  which,  it  would 
have  been  unworthy  of  notice  ;  but  there  is  something 
very  pleasing,  to  my  mind,  in  visiting  the  living  dwell- 


148  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

ings  of  the  illustrious  dead  —  it  never  fails  to  revive  agree 
able  reminiscences  of  their  works,  or  actions,  and  makes 
an  agreeable  and  lasting  impression  upon  the  mind. 

The  houses,  in  the  old  town,  upon  high  street,  are, 
many  of  them,  ten  stories  high.  You  enter  at  the  fifth 
story,  and  ascend,  or  descend,  according  to  the  location 
of  the  family  you  wish  to  visit.  Each  story  is  called  a 
flat,  and  contains  sufficient  room  for  a  genteel  family,  all 
making  use  of  the  same  stone  stairway.  The  new  town, 
as  it  is  called,  is  unquestionably  the  handsomest  city  in 
Europe,  having  very  broad  streets,  crossing  each  other 
at  right  angles,  and  the  houses  uniformly  built  of  hewn 
stone,  and  of  an  equal  height. 

Among  the  acquaintances  that  I  made,  beside  those 
already  mentioned,  was  Capt.  Carr,  of  the  army,  who  had 
a  brother,  a  merchant  in  Charleston.  At  his  table,  I  met 
a  large  party,  among  whom  were  six  pair  of  epaulets. 
At  this,  and  the  great  number  of  entertainments  at  which 
I  was  a  guest,  I  never  saw  a  single  instance  of  inebriety  ; 
they  were  all  marked  by  a  genuine  hospitality  and  good 
feeling,  such  as  should  ever  distinguish  the  man,  and  the 
gentleman. 

Lieutenant-general  Vise,  the  commander-in-chief  for 
Scotland,  occupied  the  suite  of  rooms  adjoining  mine  ;  and 
when  the  news  arrived  of  the  insurrection  in  Dublin,  in 
which  lord  Kilwarden  lost  his  life,  and  for  which  the  great 
Emmett  suffered  upon  a  scaffold,  I  was,  through  his  instru 
mentality,  furnished  with  the  accounts  of  passing  events. 
Vedettes  were  constantly  arriving  and  departing;  the 
city  was  in  a  perfect  uproar ;  the  council  met,  and  issued 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  149 

a  most  singular  order,  that  "  all  foreigners,  as  well  Irish 
men  as  Americans,  should  appear  forthwith  before  the 
Lord  Provost,  and  give  an  account  of  themselves,  and 
their  business  ;  and  requiring  all  inn  keepers,  and  others, 
having  strangers  under  their  roofs,  to  give  an  account  of 
them." 

I  had  just  finished  the  reading  of  this  singular  order, 
when  my  old  servant  made  her  appearance  ;  and,  after 
repeated  courtesies,  stammered  out  the  object  of  her 
visit,  which  I  was  already  apprised  of,  from  reading  the 
order.  I  declined  making  any  explanation  to  the  good 
old  woman,  but  satisfied  her  by  saying  I  would  satisfy 
the  Lord  Provost  on  the  subject.  She  had  scarcely  left 
the  room,  when  my  friend  Carr  entered,  and  informed  me 
that  he  had  taken  the  liberty  to  call  upon  the  Lord  Pro 
vost,  and  become  answerable  for  me  —  an  act  of  kindness 
which  merited,  and  received,  my  grateful  acknowledg 
ments.  In  a  few  moments,  the  consul-general  Murray, 
and  vice-consul  Cassels,  entered ;  and  we  all  enjoyed  a 
hearty  laugh,  at  the  expense  of  the  honorable  council 
for  having  so  worded  their  order. 

It  was  truly  amusing  for  several  days,  to  see  the  excite 
ment  occasioned  by  this  "  tempest  in  a  teapot,"  as  Dr. 
Johnson  would  have  called  it;  but  the  fact  was,  the 
excitement  had  so  long  been  kept  up,  by  the  appre 
hension  of  an  invasion  by  the  French,  that  the  least  addi 
tion  to  it  created  the  greatest  alarm  :  and  well  it  might ; 
for  there  was  more  than  one  report  of  their  having 
landed. 

13* 


150  REMINISCENCES      OF     THE 

A  few  days  after,  I  took  leave  of  my  hospitable  friends, 
and  their  beautiful  city,  and  started  on  a  Thursday  after 
noon,  in  the  mail  coach,  direct  for  London.  There  was 
but  one  other  passenger,  an  agreeable  young  Scotchman, 
until  we  arrived  at  Newcastle,  the  next  morning,  where 
we  breakfasted ;  on  entering  the  coach  after  breakfast, 
we  found  the  back  seat  occupied  by  a  young,  clerical 
looking  gentleman,  and  a  lady.  After  a  while  my  Scotch 
friend  and  myself,  attempted  to  start  a  conversation,  but 
the  clerical  gentleman  not  only  declined  all  participation 
in  it  himself,  but  showed  a  decided  dislike  to  the  lady's 
taking  any  part ;  accordingly  we  kept  to  ourselves,  as 
though  there  had  been  no  one  else  in  the  coach. 

At  ten,  at  night,  we  arrived  at  York,  where  coaches 
from  all  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom  meet  at  that  hour, 
and  depart  at  twelve. 

At  the  sound  of  the  horn,  we  entered  the  coach,  and 
found  the  back  seat  occupied  by  the  lady,  and  in  place  of 
the  reverend  gentleman,  a  man  of  uncommon  size,  and  a 
girl  of  about  ten  years.  This  was  contrary  to  all  rule, 
which  admits  but  four  inside  passengers.  We  frequently 
heard  the  lady  complain,  during  the  night,  of  being  incom 
moded  ;  but  the  cold  reception  our  civilities  had  met  with 
the  day  before,  induced  my  companion  and  myself  not  to 
interfere.  Soon  after  day  light,  in  the  morning,  the  coach 
stopped,  and  the  huge  man  and  little  girl  got  out,  very 
much  to  the  satisfaction  of  those  that  remained.  The 
lady  immediately  commenced  telling  us  of  her  sufferings 
in  the  night ;  when  I  told  her  the  reason  why  we  had  not 
presumed  to  interfere,  was  the  cold  reception  our  prof- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  151 

fered  services  had  met  with,  the  day  before,  from  her 
clerical  friend,  who,  she  informed  me,  was  attached  to  the 
York  cathedral,  and  under  whose  protection  she  was 
placed  by  her  friends  at  Newcastle.  He  was  going  no 
further  than  York,  and  the  lady,  the  Scotch  gentleman, 
and  myself,  were  going  to  London  ;  she  to  meet  her 
husband,  who  had  just  arrived  from  St.  Petersburgh,  and 
written  to  her  to  join  him.  We  were  without  other 
passengers  to  the  end  of  our  journey,  and  arrived  in  Lon 
don  the  next  morning  (Sunday)  at  six  o'clock ;  when 
behold  the  lady's  trunk  was  missing,  not  having  been  put 
into  the  coach  at  York,  owing  to  the  inattention  of  her 
friend.  A  note  was  dispatched  on  the  waybill,  by  the 
return  coach  that  evening,  and  I  made  dilligent  inquiry 
for  a  fortnight,  but  no  trunk  came,  or  was  heard  of;  had 
her  friend  been  a  gentleman,  he  would  have  sought  our 
acquaintance,  and  commended  the  lady  to  our  care,  when 
he  knew  he  was  no  longer  to  accompany  her  ;  then  her 
comfort  and  convenience  would  have  been  attended  to, 
and  her  baggage  would  not  have  been  lost ;  but  there  she 
was,  three  hundred  miles  from  home,  without  any  other 
article  of  dress  than  she  had  on,  judging  from  which,  the 
contents  of  her  trunk  must  have  been  valuable.  We 
never  saw  her  afterwards.  There  was  a  common  prac 
tice,  at  the  time  I  speak  of,  when  ladies  made  a  part  of 
the  company  in  a  coach,  unaccompanied  by  a  protector, 
for  the  gentlemen  to  pay  their  fare  at  meals.  Thus  end- 
eth  my  journey  to  Scotland. 


152  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 


A  VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE  IN  1820: 

EMBRACING   A  TOUR   IN  ENGLAND  AND   FRANCE THEIR  AGRICULTURE — CHIEF 

TOWNS — CURIOSITIES — TRIAL  OF  THE  QUEEN — EXCITEMENT — PROCESSIONS, 
&C.    &C.    &C. 

Written  November,  1838. 

In  June,  1820,  I  sailed  from  New  York  in  the  ship 
Agnes,  commanded  by  Captain  Ogden,  a  very  gentle 
manly,  pleasant  man.  There  were  but  few  passengers  ; 
among  them  the  captain's  lady  —  she  was  the  only 
female.  The  party  was  a  very  agreeable  one,  of  whom 
one  was  an  aged  divine,  from  Georgia,  who  preached  to  us 
on  Sundays,  and  pitched  dollars  with  us  on  Mondays. 
It  was  a  very  pleasant  pastime,  and  consisted  in  pitching 
a  dollar  into  any  one  of  a  series  of  numbers,  which  were 
arranged  like  a  chequer  board,  and  chalked  on  the  deck ; 
he  who  pitched  into  the  highest,  beat.  There  was  no 
winning,  because  there  was  no  betting.  The  old  gentle 
man  became  very  expert  at  it,  and  managed  with  great 
address  to  make  his  motions  conform  to  those  of  the 
vessel,  which  was  no  easy  matter,  particularly  when  she 
rolled  a  little.  This,  together  with  reading  and  conver 
sation  made  time  pass  quite  pleasantly. 

Two  of  our  passengers  were  young  English  gentle 
men,  who  had  been  travelling  in  the  United  States.  One 
of  them  was  a  noble  hearted  fellow,  and  saw  things  in 
their  right  light :  he  was  a  cotton  broker  from  Liverpool. 
The  other  (who  was  a  cotton  spinner  from  Manchester) 
saw  things  through  a  different  medium,  and  was  given 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  153 

to  fault-finding  with  every  thing  he  met  with  in  the 
United  States,  but  the  birds.  He  was  a  great  fancier  of 
birds,  and  had  spent  the  preceding  winter  and  spring  in 
Georgia  and  Florida,  shooting  them  for  their  skins.  He 
obtained  a  collection  of  some  hundreds,  of  the  most  beau 
tiful  plumage,  which  he  set  great  store  by.  It  was  his 
first  absence  from  home,  and  he  complained  bitterly  of 
the  American  custom-house,  for  having  made  him  pay 
duties  on  some  articles  of  merchandise  he  had,  apart  from 
his  clothing.  I  remarked  to  him,  that  when  he  had 
passed  the  ordeal  of  a  custom-house  in  his  own  country, 
he  would  probably  change  his  opinion  of  the  conduct  of 
the  Americans  in  managing  theirs. 

We  arrived  at  Liverpool  on  the  sixteenth  of  July, 
being  twenty  years  from  my  first  visit  to  that  place.  It 
was  on  Sunday  ;  and  the  ship  being  detained  at  the  rock, 
waiting  for  the  tide,  the  captain,  who  was  going  to  take 
his  lady  to  town,  politely  invited  the  bird-fancier  and 
myself  to  accompany  him  —  an  invitation  which  was 
very  readily  accepted.  My  friend  put  on  a  large  outside 
coat,  with  huge  pockets,  which  were  completely  crammed 
with  bird  skins.  Before  we  had  got  half  way  to  town,  a 
custom  house  barge  made  its  appearance,  and  rowing  up 
alongside  our  boat,  began  to  overhaul  it ;  I  pressed  hard 
against  the  pocket  next  to  me,  which  brought  the  other 
with  equal  pressure  against  the  inner  side  of  the  boat, 
and  their  bulk  escaped  notice.  They  found  nothing 
amiss,  and  left  us ;  but  my  friend,  the  bird-fancier,  was 
in  a  most  awful  sweat  on  the  occasion,  and  already  began 
to  think  that  an  American  custom-house  might  not  be 


154  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

altogether  the  most  difficult  in  the  world  to  get  along 
with. 

A  custom-house  officer  had  come  on  board  the  evening 
before  we  left  the  ship.  I  had  a  box  of  cigars,  which 
are  a  prohibited  article ;  I  placed  them  directly  in  the 
top  of  my  trunk,  the  lid  of  which  could  not  be  lifted  with 
out  their  being  exposed  to  view. 

Before  I  started  for  the  town,  I  gave  the  key  of  my 
trunk  to  the  officer,  and  with  it  half  a  guinea  ;  the  next 
day  my  baggage  was  sent  from  the  custom  house,  where 
it  had  been  taken  for  examination,  to  my  hotel,  and  on 
opening  it  I  found  that  not  an  article  had  been  moved, 
while  my  friend's  was  turned  bottom  up,  and  the  remain 
der  of  his  bird  skins,  which  he  could  not  get  into  his  pock 
ets,  when  he  came  to  town  with  us,  were  made  prize  of; 
poor  fellow,  how  he  did  grieve  for  the  loss ;  but  the  offi 
cers  took  compassion  on  him,  and  gave  them  up,  after 
collecting  a  duty  equal  to  six  dollars  and  a  half  upon  them  ! 
I  could  not  help  asking  him,  which  he  thought  was  the 
most  accommodating,  an  American,  or  an  English  custom 
house  ?  His  reply  was  that  he  never  would  complain  of 
an  American  custom  house  again. 

I  had  letters  to,  and  bills  on,  the  Messrs.  Rathbone, 
who  made  me  acquainted  with  the  celebrated  ROSCOE, 
and  in  every  respect  treated  me  like  a  brother.  I  found 
Liverpool,  in  my  twenty  year's  absence,  had  become  a 
large,  fashionable,  and  in  some  parts  a  well  built  city, 
with  but  few  objects  to  excite  the  attention  of  the  travelled 
stranger.  Its  town  hall,  its  exchange,  its  atheneum, 
but  above  all,  its  botanic  garden,  are  exceptions  to  this 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  155 

remark  ;  the  latter  is  second  only  to  that  of  Paris,  and 
was  then  kept  in  admirable  order.  For  these  improve 
ments  the  city  is  mainly  indebted  to  the  public  spirit  and 
enterprize  of  Mr.  Roscoe. 

On  the  20th,  Mr.  Tattersal  (the  cotton  broker  before 
mentioned)  invited  all  the  passengers  to  dine  with  him,  at 
his  charming  villa  at  Everton,  a  few  miles  from  town, 
and  beautifully  situated.  Here  I  met  with  a  hearty 
English  welcome,  and  every  luxury  the  season  afforded. 

It  is  here  proper  to  mention,  that  the  object  of  my 
voyage  was  agricultural ;  to  see  their  farming,  and  to 
procure  such  agricultural  SEEDS,  IMPLEMENTS  and  BOOKS, 
as  were  not  to  be  found  in  the  United  States. 

The  Sunday  after  my  arrival,  I  went  to  hear  the 
celebrated  Mr.  Raffles,  a  dissenting  minister,  and  was  not 
a  little  surprised  to  find  his  pulpit  occupied  by  my  cler 
ical  fellow  passenger  from  Georgia.  After  service,  by 
previous  invitation,  I  rode  out  with  Mr.  Richard  Rath- 
bone,  to  Mrs.  Dowager  Rathbone's  (his  mother's)  country 
house,  nine  miles  from  town,  where  we  met  a  select  party 
of  about  a  dozen,  including  the  three  Mrs.  Rathbones, 
and  the  Roscoes,  father  and  son ;  (this  was  the  third  din 
ner  party  to  meet  this  gentleman,  but  circumstances  pre 
vented  his  presence  at  the  two  former.)  The  Rathbones 
are  of  the  society  of  Friends,  although  they  do  not  adhere 
strictly  to  their  costume.  They  have  a  custom,  which 
does  honor  to  human  nature,  which  they  do  not  permit 
the  presence  of  company  to  interfere  with.  At  nine 
o'clock,  having  first  asked  the  permission  of  their  guests, 
the  servants,  eight  in  number,  were  summoned  to  the 


156  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

drawing  room,  and  being  seated,  Mr.  Richard  Rathbone 
read  a  sermon,  which  was  listened  to  by  all  present  with 
the  most  profound  silence.  The  servants  then  retired, 
and  conversation  was  resumed. 

At  ten  o'clock,  supper  was  announced,  and  all  repaired 
to  the  table,  which  was  bountifully  spread  ;  but  food  for 
the  body  did  not  appear  to  be  the  object.  There  was 
very  little  eating,  and  it  at  once  gave  place  to  conversa 
tion  ;  which  was  kept  up  with  great  spirit,  until  past 
twelve,  when  all  retired.  I  rose  at  day  light  and  went  to 
the  hay-field;  the  morning  was  fine,  and  "the  ripe  har 
vest  of  the  new  mown  hay  was  pleasing  to  the  sense."  I 
continued  talking  with  the  hay-makers,  until  William 
Rathbone  came  to  bid  me  to  the  breakfast  parlor,  where 
the  rest  of  the  company  had  already  assembled.  At  ten, 
the  carriages  were  all  drawn  up,  and  the  company 
separated. 

Mr.  Rathbone  very  politely  gave  me  my  choice,  to 
mount  the  curricle  with  him,  or  take  a  seat  in  the  chariot 
with  his  lady.  My  inclination,  leaving  gallantry  out  of 
the  question,  prompted  me  to  accept  the  latter.  Add  to 
which,  the  lady  was  of  great  beauty,  and  amiable  as 
beautiful.  In  the  afternoon,  I  took  leave  of  my  Liverpool 
friends,  (with  the  understanding,  that  after  my  return 
from  France,  I  should  spend  a  fortnight  with  them,)  and 
went  to  Manchester,  by  the  coach,  thirty- six  miles,  in 
four  hours,  and  took  lodgings  at  the  Albion.  The  land 
between  Liverpool  and  Manchester,  that  was  fit  for  culti 
vation,  was  almost  all  of  it  in  grass  or  potatoes  ;  the  lat 
ter  in  drills,  not  eighteen  inches  apart ;  but  there  is  an 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  157 

extensive  tract  of  peat  moss  upon  this  road,  which  had 
never  been  subjected  to  the  plough.  Also,  some  good, 
and  much  bad  farming.  Lands  six  niles  from  Manches 
ter,  rented  at  from  thirty,  to  forty  shillings  per  acre,  and 
sold  at  thirty  year's  purchase. 

The  next  day  I  viewed  the  town,  and  many  of  the 
large  cotton  factories,  accompanied  by  my  bird-fancying 
friend.     Took  a  walk  in  -'he  afternoon  to  the  extensive 
calico  printing  establishment  of  Mr.  Baily,  three  miles 
from  town.     On  my  way,  noticed  a  large  herd  of  cows, 
of  the  broad-horned  breed,  and  of  great  size  —  their  value 
about  sixteen  guineas  each.     They  give  a  large  quantity 
of  milk.     The  operation  of  calico  printing  was  new  to 
me.     Mr.  Baily  took  me  through  his  extensive  works, 
and  explained  every  thing  in  the  most  obliging  manner, 
giving  me  reason  to  be  highly  gratified  with  my  little 
excursion.     As  agriculture  was  the  great  object  I  had  in 
view,  1  must  not  let  any  thing  pass  in  relation  to  that 
sublet.     Green  clover  was  selling  in  the  streets  at  four 
pence  for  sixteen  pounds ;  and  hay  at  four  pounds  per 
ton.     Passing  "  the  Old  Baily,"  I  found  the  magistrate's 
court  was  in  session.     I  entered.     The  body  of  the  room 
was  crowded  with  spectators,  who  had  no  seats.     I  was 
shown  to  a  seat,  and  in  the  course  of  an  hour,  heard  six 
separate  trials,  convictions,  and  sentences  ;  this  was  doing 
business  at  a  rapid  rate.     But  what  took  my  attention 
most,  was  the  sentence  passed  upon  a  boy  of  about  thir 
teen,  who  had  upset  an  old  woman's  fruit  stall,  and  stolen 
some  of  her  pennies.     His  sentence  was,  "  to  be  SEVERE- 

VOL.  I.  14 


158  REMINISCENCES     OFT  HE 

LY  whipped ;  put  to  hard  labor  in  the  H.OUSC  of  correction 
one  month  ;  then  whipped  again,  end  discharged  /" 

Having  visited  the  different  factories  in  Manchester, 
there  is  little  to  excite  the  attention  of  the  traveller,  ex 
cept  the  slavery  of  the  operatives  in  those  factories,  who 
are  excluded  from  breathing  the  common  air  ;  and  yet 
these  people  prate  about  the  slavery  of  the  negroes,  who 
do  not  work  as  many  hours,  are  as  well  clothed,  and  bet 
ter,  far  better,  fed,  and  have  no  Bought  for  tho  morrow, 
what  they  shall  eat,  drink,  or  put  on.  Ikt  the  philan 
thropists  of  England,  with  WilberTorce  at  their  head, 
were  so  much  taken  up  with  the  poor  negroes,  that  they 
entirely  lc  >t  sight  of  the  poor  slaves  of  their  own  country, 
and  color,  and  blood.  I  have  lived  in  skive  states  for 
more  than  thirty  years,  yet  never  saw  a  tithe  of  the  mis 
ery  aiid  wretchedness  that  these  factories  vomited  forth 
at  the  ringing  of  the  dinner  bell.  The  miserable,  squallid 
appearance  of  men,  women,  and  children,  was  enwigh  to 
sicken  the  heart  of  any  one  not  habituated  to  it.  They 
had  not  half  enough  of  the  most  common  food  to  sustain 
life,  with  labor,  and  enj^y  health.  There  were  thousands 
of  men  and  women,  of,  and  past  the  middle  age,  who  had 
never  been  ten  miles  from  the  town,  so  complete  wras 
their  slavery  from  childhood. 

In  1805,  I,  with  my  partners,  the  Messrs.  Olney,  built 
the  fifth  cotton  manufactory  in  the  United  States,  at  Pro 
vidence  ;  at  which  time,  there  was  but  one  man  in  the 
Union,  (except  Mr.  Slater,  who.  with  Almy  &  Brown, 
built  the  three  first  factories,)  who  could  make  drawings 
for  cotton  machinery.  This  man  we  got  to  make  draw- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  159 

ings  for  us  by  stealth,  until,  by  writing  to  a  friend  at  Liv 
erpool,  we  got  a  man  smuggled  out  from  Manchester  to 
Boston.  His  name  was  Ogden,  and  he  was  the  first  man 
who  ever  set  up  a  machine  shop  in  the  United  States,  to 
teach  the  art  of  making  machinery  for  the  manufacturing 
of  cotton.  To  abduct  a  manufacturer  from  England,  in 
those  days,  was  no  trilling  offence.  When  it  was  dis 
covered,  at  Manchester,  that  Ogden  had  made  his  escape 
to  America,  his  wife  and  children  were  turned  out  of 
employment,  and  came  upon  the  parish.  This  did  not 
last  long,  for  as  soon  as  he  arrived,  we  sent  for  them. 

Jdy  27. — Left  Manchester  in  the  12  o'clock  coach  for 
Leeds,  in  Yorkshire.  The  first  town  we  entered  was 
Oidham — here  the  woollen  manufactures  commenced. 
From  thence  we  passed  over  a  very  hilly  country,  and 
extensive  moors  of  peat  moss,  interspersed  with  numer 
ous  grazing  farms,  but  no  cornfields.  The  buildings  and 
fences  were  all  of  stone,  for  many  miles,  enclosing  exten 
sive  vales  and  hill  sides,  in  lots,  not  one  of  which  exceed 
ed  five  acres,  and  most  of  them  not  two.  We  next  ar 
rived  at  Huddersfield,  a  well  built  town,  all  of  stone. — 
The  humble  dwellings  of  the  poor,  in  the  town,  and  upon 
the  road  to,  and  from  it,  were  very  neat ;  not  so  the  hun 
dreds  of  children,  whose  looks  were  cadaverous,  and  for 
rags  and  dirt,  I  never  saw  their  equals  ;  add  to  this,  their 
savage  manner,  as  they  ran  by  dozens,  and  in  some  instan 
ces,  for  more  than  a  mile,  by  the  coach  side,  calling  upon 
us,  more  like  robbers,  than  beggars,  for  half  pence.— 
From  Huddersfield  to  Leeds,  a  fine  country,  abounding 


160  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

in  rich  and  highly  cultivated  vales,  covered  with  fields  of 
grain. 

Leeds,  July  28.  —  Spent  the  forenoon  walking  about  the 
town,  which  had  some  good  buildings,  and  a  few  good 
streets,  with  a  population  of  70,000.  It,  like  Manchester, 
was  increasing.  Indeed,  the  number  of  new  houses  and 
factories,  from  Manchester  to  this  place,  struck  me  with 
astonishment.  The  time  I  am  here  speaking  of,  was 
immediately  preceding  the  trial  of  Queen  Caroline,  and 
the  following  expression  of  opinion,  which,  as  far  as 
silence  gives  consent,  was  concurred  in  by  all  present 
but  one,  could  not  fail  to  excite  my  attention.  A  gen 
tleman  at  breakfast,  in  the  public  room,  which  was  full, 
asserted  roundly,  that  "  he  did  not  believe  there  was  a 
worse  man  in  the  kingdom,  than  the  king."  One  present 
demurred ;  on  which  the  gentleman  asked  him  to  name 
any  good  action  that  was  ever  done  by  his  majesty ;  and 
stated  that  at  Ascot  Heath,  a  few  days  before,  when  the 
king  came  on  the  ground  he  was  not  noticed,  and  some 
of  his  attendants  called  upon  the  people  to  cheer  him, 
but  without  effect.  Afternoon,  started  for  York,  where 
I  arrived  at  seven  o'clock,  and  went  to  the  theatre, 
where  I  saw  George  Barnwell  murdered. 

July  29.  —  Attended  court,  and  heard  Brougham  and 
Scarlet  in  "  the  great  Iron  case,"  Barron  Bailey  presiding. 
Many  ladies  of  the  first  distinction  present.  Went  from 
there  to  the  Messrs.  Backhouse,  to  whom  I  had  letters, 
viewed  their  nursery  of  forest  trees,  about  seventy  acres, 
among  which  were  three  millions  of  larches,  a  tree,  the 
timber  of  which  is  much  used  for  boards  and  other  pur- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  161 

poses ;  they  were  sown  in  drills,  in  beds  all  of  a  size, 
and  the  number  ascertained  by  counting  a  square  yard 
of  one  of  them  ;  they  were  then  about  six  inches  high  ; 
when  of  a  size  to  transplant  into  the  forest,  they  sell  for 
a  shilling  each.  One  of  the  Messrs.  Backhouse  travelled 
nearly  the  whole  time  to  get  orders  for  these  and  other 
forest  trees. 

These  gentlemen  are  of  the  society  of  Friends.  I 
took  a  family  dinner  with  them,  and  then  went  and 
viewed  the  magnificent  Minster,  being  among  the  largest 
cathedrals  in  Europe.  I  had  not  seen  it  since  my  return 
from  Scotland  in  1803.  Its  architecture  is  of  the  middle 
age  of  the  English  Gothic.  The  title  by  which  its  large 
possessions  are  held,  is  an  ivory  tusk,  on  which  it  is 
engraved  in  the  ancient  Saxon  character.  Before  Crom 
well's  time,  this  cathedral  was  very  rich ;  among  other 
valuables,  were  the  statues  of  the  twelve  apostles,  all  six 
feet  high,  of  solid  silver.  Cromwell  journeyed  that  way, 
and  took  a  fancy  to  them,  observing,  "  your  divine  mas 
ter  instructed  you  to  go  up  and  down  in  the  world,  doing 
good  in  it ;  and  I  will  see  that  you  fulfil  his  commands." 
They  were  immediately  put  upon  their  travels  to  the 
mint.  The  only  articles  remaining,  that  I  recollect  as 
worth  noticing,  are  a  gigantic  silver  mace,  and  one  of 
Saint  Peter's  finger  rings,  which,  if  I  had  not  seen,  I 
should  not  have  known  that  he  had  ever  worn  any.  I 
returned  to  the  Messrs.  Backhouse,  and  spent  the  eve 
ning  and  supped  there.  They  lived  very  plain. 

Sunday,  July  30. —  Went  to  the  cathedral.     After 
the  sermon,  procured  the  key  from  the  sexton,  and  as- 

14* 


162  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

cended  to  the  top  of  the  great  Tower,  two  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  high,  and  fifty  square.  The  weather  was  unu 
sually  warm,  and  even  at  that  height  there  was  very 
little  air  stirring.  I  sat  there  upwards  of  an  hour,  con 
templating  the  beautiful  scenery  that  surrounded  me  on 
every  side,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  over  one  of  the 
richest  and  best  cultivated  vales  in  England.  The 
solemn  sounds  of  the  deep-toned  organ,  from  the  choir 
below,  vibrating  upon  my  ear,  wrere  the  only  ones  that 
broke  in  upon  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  scene  ;  for  a 
moment,  I  lost  sight  of  the  beauties  that  lay  in  such  pro 
fusion  at  my  feet,  and  my  mind  was  borne  upwards  to 
the  throne  of  the  Eternal.  I  rejoiced  that  there  was  no 
thoughtless  impertinence  to  break  in  upon  the  delightful 
vision,  and  regretted  there  was  no  congenial  mind  to 
share  it  with  me. 

York  is  a  city  of  great  antiquity,  and  has  much  to 
attract  the  attention  of  such  travellers  as  do  not  visit 
places  merely  to  say  they  have  been  there.  It  was  once 
the  seat  of  the  government  of  the  Roman  Empire  ;  two 
emperors  were  buried  here,  Severus  and  Constantius. 
The  ancient  citadel  and  a  portion  of  the  walls  are  yet 
standing.  Innumerable  Roman  coins,  some  of  them  of 
great  antiquity,  have  been  dug  up  here  at  various  times, 
and  would  have  formed  a  collection  of  great  value,  had 
they  been  all  kept  together;  but  they  were  sold  to  the 
curious  from  all  parts  of  Europe.  Only  a  few  days 
before  I  arrived  here,  two  were  dug  up  that  were  over 
two  thousand  years  old.  In  the  castle,  I  saw  the  skull  of 
Clarke,  who  was  murdered  by  Eugene  Aram,  which 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  163 

gave  rise  to  the  popular  novel  of  that  name,  by  Bulwer. 
There  was  also  a  fine  ruin  of  an  old  abbey ;  and  another 
of  King  James'  palace,  in  which  hogs  were  kept.  What 
a  lesson  for  human  vanity !  The  celebrated  grammarian, 
Lindley  Murray,  was  living  just  out  of  the  city  at  the 
time  I  was  there  ;  but  1  was  not  informed  of  this  fact 
until  it  was  too  late  for  me  to  profit  by  it. 

Monday,  July  31. —  Took  leave  of  the  Backhouse 
family,  and  mounted  on  the  outside  of  a  coach  ;  the 
weather  was  delightful,  and  the'  coach  was  admirably 
constructed  —  attached  to  the  body  behind,  was  a  settee 
large  enough  to  contain  three  persons  with  convenience, 
one  of  whom  is  always  the  conductor,  who  has  charge 
of  the  whole  concern.  It  is  sufficiently  elevated  to  per 
mit  the  occupants  to  see  over  the  heads  of  the  driver  and 
those  who  may  be  seated  with  him,  thus  affording  an 
uninterrupted  view  of  the  fine  country  over  which  I  was 
passing. 

The  grain  in  many  places,  as  I  approached  Newark, 
was  fit  for  the  sickle  ;  while  in  Yorkshire  it  was  quite 
green,  and  more  than  half  lodged.  It  depended  on  the 
continuance  of  such  fine  weather,  whether  they  made  a 
great  crop,  or  not  half  of  one.  Numerous  fields  of 
turnips,  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  some  in  drills 
eighteen  inches  apart,  and  some  broad  cast,  were  to 
be  seen  in  all  directions.  But  few  potatoes,  and  not 
one  patch  of  ruta  baga  or  Swedish  turnip,  in  the  whole 
day's  ride.  There  was  some  very  ordinary  land,  but 
much  more  that  was  very  good. 

Passed  through  Tadcaster  and  Doncaster,  the  latter  as 


164  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

beautiful  a  country  town  as  there  is  in  England,  and  cele 
brated  for  its  horse  racing ;  also,  through  a  number  of 
other  towns  and  villages,  not  deserving  particular  note, 
arrived  at  Newark  about  sunset,  and  staid  there  until  the 
mail  coach  came  along  next  morning  at  ten. 

Newark,  August  1st.  —  Spent  the  morning  in  viewing 
the  town,  and  such  objects  as  were  pointed  out  to  me  as 
deserving  of  the  traveller's  notice,  the  principal  one  of 
which  was  the  ruins  of  the  old  castle,  in  which  King  John 
was  confined;  he  who  had  occupied  a  palace  and  found 
it  quite  small  enough,  was  here  confined  in  a  dungeon, 
six  feet  by  four,  in  which  he  died.  Who  would  be  a  king 
on  such  terms?  There  is  a  subterranean  passage  from 
this  castle,  which  passes  under  the  town,  extending  a  mile 
to  a  priory.  The  entrance  to  it  had  been  closed  up  for 
a  hundred  and  fifty  years,  to  prevent  its  becoming  the 
resort  of  banditti. 

At  ten  o'clock,  the  Edinburgh  mail  coach  came  along, 
and  I  took  a  seat  in  it  for  London.  The  fields  of  grain  I 
saw  to-day,  were  not  very  promising,  and  much  lodged. 
The  weather  continued  fine,  and  the  harvest  had  began. 
The  country  I  passed  through  was  good,  bad,  and  indif 
ferent,  a  large  portion  of  the  latter. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  New  Market  and  Cambridge, 
great  efforts  had  been  made  use  of  to  raise  cover,  suffi 
cient  for  hares  and  rabbits,  hundreds  of  which  were  to  be 
seen  by  the  road  side,  and  passing  in  every  direction, 
back  and  forth,  affording  the  most  tempting  opportunities 
to  the  coachman,  to  knock  them  over  with  his  whip, 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  165 

which  no  doubt  he  would  have  done,  had  he  not  seen 
Botany  Bay  in  the  distance. 

As  I  only  stopped  to  dine  at  Cambridge,  I  had  no 
opportunity  of  visiting  the  colleges,  which  I  had  visited 
seventeen  years  before ;  I  continued  my  journey  all 
night,  and  arrived  in  London  at  six  o'clock,  on  Wednes 
day  morning,  the  second  of  August. 

London,  August  2d.  —  Called  on  Mr.  Rush,  the  then 
American  minister,  to  whom  I  had  letters  —  he  receiv 
ed  me  very  civilly.  I  there  met  Mr.  Middleton,  our 
minister  to  Russia,  with  whom  I  had  long  been  acquainted. 
He  left  New  York  three  days  before  me,  and  was  spend 
ing  some  time  in  London,  on  his  way  to  St.  Petersburgh. 

On  my  way  to  Mr.  Rush's,  in  Portman  street,  Port- 
man  square,  I  saw  a  large  collection  of  well  dressed 
people,  gathered  in  front  of  a  very  plain,  three  story 
house,  and  inquired  the  cause  —  the  answer  was,  "  the 
queen  lives  there."  I  looked  up  and  saw  her  at  the  win 
dow  ;  a  large  and  rather  masculine  looking  woman, 
plainly  dressed.  She  had  returned  from  the  continent  a 
short  time  before.  Alderman  Wood  went  after  her,  and 
attended  her  like  her  shadow.  She  soon  after  took  an 
elegant  house  at  Hammersmith,  some  six  miles  from 
London,  where  she  continued  pending  her  trial,  and,  I 
believe,  until  her  death. 

August  4th.  —  Walked  and  rode  about  the  city  a  great 
part  of  the  day.  It  had  greatly  increased  in  population, 
and  improved  in  splendor,  since  last  I  saw  it ;  particu 
larly  in  the  building  of  Regent  street,  the  Quadrant,  &c. 
Called  upon  a  number  of  old  friends,  who  gave  me  a 


166  REMINISCENCES    OF    THE 

hearty  welcome,  arid  from  them  learned  that  many  others 
whom  I  used  to  meet  at  the  hospitable  board,  had  gone 
to  their  account. 

Having  spent  a  few  days  among  my  old  friends,  and 
put  my  orders  for  agricultural  books,  seeds,  and  imple 
ments  in  hand,  I  left  London  for  Brighton,  fifty-six  miles 
distant,  on  the  coast  of  Sussex.  The  land  on  this  road, 
at  least  a  great  portion  of  it,  is  not  very  good.  That 
part  nearest  London  is  highly  cultivated,  for  the  London 
market,  and  the  means  to  do  it  with  are  obtained  from 
the  city.  The  farming  is  not  as  good  as  in  Yorkshire. 
I  saw  a  number  of  fields  of  mangel  wurtzel,  the  first  in  my 
tour,  but  no  ruta  baga,  notwithstanding  Mr.  Gobbet's 
great  encomiums  upon  this  root,  and  very  just  ones  too, 
(as  I  know  by  experience,)  there  was  not  one  to  be  seen. 
The  weather  continued  fine,  and  the  harvest  was  nearly 
completed. 

Brighton  had  more  than  doubled  in  population,  and 
tripled  in  elegance,  since  last  I  saw  it,  in  1803.  It  was 
the  favorite  bathing  place  and  summer  residence  of 
George  the  Fourth.  The  "  Oriental"  palace,  which  was 
built  by  George  the  Fourth,  when  Prince  of  Wales,  was 
rather  unique  in  its  appearance,  and  from  its  numerous 
minerets  and -domes,  resembled  a  Turkish  mosque,  quite 
as  much  as  it  did  the  residence  of  a  monarch.  The  Stien 
was  a  pretty  public  walk,  but  not  to  be  compared  to  the 
battery,  in  New  York,  or  the  mall,  in  Boston.  The  races 
at  this  place  are  among  the  best  attended,  and  most  fash 
ionable  in  England. 

August  8th,  8  p.  M.  —  Went  on  board  a  schooner, 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  167 

which  was  dignified  with  the  name  of"  Packet,"  although 
its  appearance  and  accommodations  very  little  surpassed 
an  eastern  fishing  schooner.  Up  to  the  period  here 
spoken  of,  there  were  no  steamboats  plying  between  Eng 
land  and  France.  It  was  Friday  evening,  and  the  cap 
tain  told  us  we  should  be  landed  in  Dieppe,  in  Normandy, 
eighty-five  miles  from  Brighton,  th^  next  morning.  He 
had  provided  nothing  for  the  passengers,  who,  expecting 
to  be  found,  had  provided  nothing  for  themselves.  This 
was  not  iny  case,  however  ;  I  had  looked  at  the  vesssi  in 
the  forenoon,  and  provided  myself  accordingly,  with  a 
large  quarter  of  cold  roast  lamb,  with  bread  and  a  sal- 
lad,  half  a  dozen  of  porter,  and  two  or  three  bottles  of 
port.  I  had  a  companion,  a  gentleman  from  South  Car 
olina.  The  next  morning,  Saturday,  instead  of  being 
landed  at  Dieppe,  we  were  not  out  of  sight  of  Brighton  ; 
nor  did  we  arrive  at  Dieppe  until  Sunday,  at  four  P.  M. 
Fortunately  there  were  no  ladies,  and  only  six  gentlemen 
of  us.  I  cheerfully  shared  my  provisions  with  the  others, 
and  "  felt  the  luxury  of  doing  good." 

The  first  thing  that  struck  me  on  landing,  was  the  s^'ght 
of  a  large  cross,  some  twenty  feet  high,  to  which  was 
nailed  a  colossal  statue,  intended  to  represent  our  Savior. 
The  wharf,  at  the  end  of  which  it  was  located,  affords  an 
evening  promenade  to  the  inhabitants.  In  my  half 
starved  situation,  the  first  thing  to  look  for  was  a  good 
hotel,  which  I  met  with  at  the  head  of  the  wharf,  kept  by 
an  Englishman,  in  the  English  style.  Afte*1  partaking  of 
an  excellent  dinner,  I  joined  the  company  at  the  prom 
enade. 


168  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

Next  morning,  Monday,  walked  about  the  town,  enter 
ed  a  number  of  shops,  in  each  of  which  were  a  variety  of 
productions  in  ivory,  for  the  manufacture  of  which  this 
town  has  been  celebrated  for  more  than  two  thousand 
years  ;  some  of  them  were  of  surpassing  beauty  ;  partic 
ularly  a  copy  of  Raphael's  taking  down  from  the  cross, 
wrought  in  bas  relief,  upon  a  single  tusk,  with  all  the  fig 
ures  perfect.  The  price  of  this  beautiful  article  v/as  but 
ten  dollars,  but  I  dare  not  purchase  it,  as  I  was  to  return 
to  England,  where  it  would  be  taken  from  me. 

My  attention  was  particularly  called  to  notice  but  one 
other  object,  and  that  was,  the  ladies'  caps  ;  they  are  all 
of  white  linen,  of  a  uniform  pattern,  differing  only  in 
fineness.  They  ascend  from  the  top  of  the  head  in  a 
conical  form,  to  the  height  of  nearly  a  foot,  have  long 
ears,  and  are  tied  under  the  chin.  This  fashion,  among 
the  women  of  Normandy,  has  prevailed  for  centuries, 
and  wherever  they  go  they  adhere  to  it.  Thus,  in  Paris, 
if  you  see  a  woman  with  such  a  cap  on,  no  matter  what 
her  situation  in  life,  she  is  from  Normandy. 

My  baggage  had  been  taken  to  the  custom  house  for 
examination,  where  I  repaired,  at  ten  o'clock,  to  get  it, 
and  procure  a  passport.  A  laughable  circumstance  occur 
red  there.  We  had  all  passed  examination,  but  a  young 
gentleman  by  the  name  of  Thelluson,  a  noble  hearted  fel 
low,  and  descendant  of  him  who  made  such  an  extraor 
dinary  will  some  fifty  years  ago ;  he  was  going  to  spend 
some  time  upon  the  continent,  with  his  servant,  curricle, 
horses,  and  dogs.  He  was  stout  made,  and  had  on  loose 
Nankeen  trousers,  which  made  him  appear  much  larger 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  169 

than  he  really  was.  The  custom  house  officers  thought 
they  had  got  a  prize,  supposing  that  his  person  was 
enveloped  in  British  contraband  goods ;  they  examined 
him  very  closely,  to  his  great  annoyance,  which  irritated 
him,  and  the  company  had  a  hearty  laugh  at  his  expense. 
The  examination  being  gone  through  with,  we  took  our 
seats  by  turns,  while  our  passports  were  made  out,  con 
taining  a  minute  account  of  our  persons,  faces,  ages,  &c. 
This  being  done  with,  we,  five  in  number,  mounted  the 
carriage  which  we  had  hired  to  take  us  to  Rouen,  distant 
forty-four  miles,  at  the  head  of  navigation,  upon  the  bank 
of  the  Seine,  and  the  second  city  of  France. 

We  had  not  progressed  but  a  few  miles,  when  one  of 
the  crane  necks,  from  which  the  carriage  was  suspended, 
broke,  and  we  came  down  upon  the  axle-tree.  There 
was  no  house  near.  Our  driver  left  the  box,  and  began 
to  make  a  great  splutter,  but  knew  not  how  to  remedy 
the  accident.  I  enquired  if  there  was  any  cord  in  the 
box,  that  could  be  made  use  of,  on  the  occasion,  and  found 
there  was  plenty,  with  hammer,  hatchet,  &c.  Two  of 
the  English  gentlemen,  then  undertook  to  repair  it,  but 
soon  abandoned  the  job.  I  then  took  it  in  hand,  and  in 
ten  minutes  had  the  splints  applied,  and  made  secure  with 
the  cord,  which  enabled  us  to  reach  Rouen  in  perfect 
safety.  The  next  morning,  to  my  surprise,  I  saw  the 
same  carriage  leave  the  city,  on  its  return,  with  six  pas 
sengers,  and  in  the  same  condition  in  which  J  left  it.  Our 
route  between  the  two  cities,  (Dieppe  and  Rouen,)  lay 
through  a  beautiful  and  highly  cultivated  country.  We 

VOL.  I.  15 


1 70  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

saw  large  fields  of  lucerne,  sown  broad  cast ;  this,  and  red 
clover,  constituted  a  large  portion  of  the  crop.  There 
was  no  change  of  horses  in  the  whole  distance ;  and, 
although  the  day  was  hot,  they  were  never  watered  but 
once,  and  that  at  the  half-way  house,  where  we  dined. 
The  driver  informed  us  that  they  never  watered  horses 
only  when  they  fed  them,  and  then  not  until  they  had 
eaten.  He  first  took  off  their  harness,  then  walked  them 
about,  until  they  were  cool,  then  washed  their  faces, 
throwing  the  water  up  their  nostrils,  until  they  were  tho 
roughly  cleansed.  While  they  were  eating,  he  rubbed 
them  down  ;  and  before  they  were  hitched  up,  gave  them 
as  much  water  as  they  would  drink.  Wilh  this  treat 
ment,  they  performed  the  journey,  and  arrived  at  the  end 
of  it,  before  sunset,  perfectly  fresh.  Let  this  treatment 
be  generally  adopted  in  the  United  States,  and  it  will 
save  thousands  of  valuable  horses,  annually,  that  are  now 
killed  by  the  pernicious  practice  of  giving  them  water 
every  low  miles,  and  that,  too,  when  they  are  warm. 

Rouen,  August  15.  —  Having  first  procured  a  valet  du 
place,  I  started  to  make  the  tour  of  the  city,  which 
covered  less  ground,  by  one  half,  than  any,  of  its  popu 
lation,  (then  about  130,000,)  I  ever  saw.  It  was  a  great 
church  holyday,  and  the  shops  were  all  closed  after  ten. 
The  streets,  generally  speaking,  were  very  narrow.  I 
measured  the  principal  business  street,  in  several  places : 
its  greatest  breadth  was  sixteen,  its  least,  twelve,  feet. — 
I  lodged  at  the  Hotel  Vattel.  In  the  neighborhood  of  it, 
was  the  square,  in  the  centre  of  which  the  Maid  of  Or 
leans  was  burnt  to  death,  by  order  of  the  Duke  of  Bed- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  171 

ford.  The  spot  on  which  she  suffered,  has  long  been 
occupied  by  a  monumental  statue  of  her.  The  cruel 
tyrant  compelled  her  to  stand  in  a  projecting  window,  at 
one  corner  of  the  square,  and  see  her  funeral  pile  erected. 
I  next  visited  the  house  in  which  Voltaire  wrote  his 
poem  of  "  The  Maid  of  Orleans  ;"  and  then  to  the  house 
in  which  the  two  Corneilles'  were  born.  From  thence  to 
the  convent  of  St.  Owen,  a  very  large  building,  which 
boasted  its  statues  and  its  pictures,  before  the  Revolution, 
but  soon  after  its  commencement,  was  transformed  into 
a  blacksmith's  shop,  with  a  great  number  of  forges,  which 
were  employed  for  making  pikes,  and  other  implements 
of  war. 

Before  the  Revolution,  there  were  thirty-two  parish 
churches  in  Rouen.     During  that  event,  the  number  was 
reduced  to  thirteen.     A  number  of  the  largest  of  them,  I 
saw  used  as  stables,  and  in  the  gable  end  of  one  of  them, 
over  the  hay  loft,  upon  the  wall,  was  a  good  painting  of 
the  Saviour  on  the  cross  !     In  the  afternoon,  I  was  fully 
employed  in  looking  at  an  immense  religious  procession, 
and  the  thousands  of  spectators,  who  were  engaged  the 
same  way.     It  marched  through  the  principal   streets, 
headed  by  the  archbishop,  in  his  robes  of  state,  made  of 
cloth   of  gold,  of  Lyons,  the  long  train  of  which  was 
borne  by  three  monks.     On  his  head  he  wore  the  mitre, 
while  from  his  hands  he  sprinkled  those  nearest  to  him 
with  holy  water.     He  was  under  the  middle  size ;  and  a 
more  venerable  looking  man,  or  a  more  benevolent  coun 
tenance,  1  never  beheld.     He  was  followed  by  a  great 
number  of  the  inferior  clergy,  and  members  of  the  differ- 


172  REMINISCENCES      OP     THE 

ent  religious  houses.  There  was  perfect  order  among 
the  multitude,  but  no  kneeling.  I  could  not  help  observ 
ing  the  neatness  of  dress,  and  modest  deportment  of  the 
numerous  beautiful  and  interesting  women,  the  occasion 
brought  into  the  streets.  I  entered  the  Cathedral,  before 
the  procession,  and  took  a  stand  near  the  great  altar,  and 
remained  there  during  the  performance  of  mass.  This 
would  not  have  been  permitted  before  the  Revolution. — 
This  Cathedral  was  built  by  William  the  Conqueror, 
before  his  invasion  of  England,  and  was  remarkable  for 
having  one  of  its  two  great  towers  built  without  cement 
of  any  kind.  It  was  burnt,  about  six  or  eight  years  ago, 
but  has  been  rebuilt,  or  is  building.  When  I  left  the 
church,  I  walked  to  St.  Catherine's  mount,  which  imme 
diately  overlooks  the  city,  and  adjacent  country.  There 
was  a  spiral  path  to  its  summit,  which  I  reached  with 
some  difficulty ;  but  was  amply  repaid,  in  the  great 
beauty  of  the  scene  that  surrounded  me.  The  sun  was 
near  setting,  and  the  multitude  was  returning  from  a  vil 
lage  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  over  a  bridge  of  most 
singular  construction,  the  invention  of  a  monk.  It  is 
built  upon  boats,  and  forms  a  complete  paved  street.  In 
the  promenades  of  the  people,  who  frequent  it  in  great 
numbers,  the  stranger  would  not  know  but  that  he  was 
travelling  on  solid  ground.  There  is  a  portion  of  it,  in 
the  middle,  which  is  slid  out,  to  pass  vessels  —  the  vessel 
is  passed,  and  it  is  replaced  in  less  than  ten  minutes. 

Rouen  is  to  France,  what  Manchester  is  to  England, 
the  head  quarters  of  cotton  manufacturing.  This  article 
is  brought  up  the  river,  from  Havre,  in  vessels  of  a  light 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  173 

draught  of  water.  There  are  numerous  other  factories, 
beside  those  of  cotton,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city ; 
among  them  I  noticed  some  very  extensive,  for  paper. 
The  country  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  is  singu 
larly  beautiful.  The  hills  rise  with  a  gentle  ascent  to  a 
considerable  height,  and  in  summer,  exhibit  one  uninter 
rupted  surface  of  the  various  shades  of  green,  produced 
by  the  different  kinds  of  grain  and  grasses,  without  the 
intervention  of  fence,  hedge,  or  ditch.  The  French  law, 
or  custom,  I  know  not  which,  gives  rise  to  a  singular 
mode  of  dividing  real  estate.  For  instance  :  —  if  a  man 
have  three  sons,  and  three  pieces  of  land,  instead  of  giv 
ing  each  of  them  one,  he  divides  each  piece  among  the 
three ;  thus  multiplying  the  number  of  land  proprietors 
to  an  almost  incalculable  extent,  until  there  are  separate 
properties,  some  of  which  are  so  small  they  cannot  be 
ploughed,  there  not  being  room  enough  to  turn  the  plough 
upon  them  !  I  was  indebted  to  my  eyes  for  the  sight  of 
this  fact,  and  to  Mr.  Gallatin,  our  then  minister  to  the 
court  of  France,  for  the  explanation  of  it.  More  of  that 
gentleman  hereafter.  There  are  but  about  two  hundred 
thousand  land-holders  in  England  and  Wales,  while  in 
France  there  are  more  than  ten  times  that  number.  The 
facts  above  stated,  account  for  the  difference. 

Wednesday,  August  16. — Left  Rouen  at  five  A.  M., 
on  the  top  of  the  Diligence,  for  Paris,  distant  ninety-six 
miles.  The  country,  for  several  miles,  is  very  hilly,  so 
much  so,  as  to  cause  them  to  increase  the  number  of 
horses  from  four  to  five,  six,  and  even  seven  ;  the  addi 
tional  ones  being  hitched  on  promiscuously,  instead  of 

15* 


174  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

being  in  order,  ahead  of  the  regular  team.  I  did  not  see 
an  altered  one  among  hundreds.  The  Norman  horses 
exceed  all  others,  for  every  purpose,  except  only  for  fleet- 
ness  ;  in  that  particular,  they  are  surpassed  by  the  Ara 
bian.  It  was  the  heavy  cavalry  of  France,  mounted  on 
Norman  horses,  and  led  on  by  Murat,  that  won  a  large 
portion  of  the  victories  of  Napoleon.  There  is  scarcely 
a  nation  in  Europe  who  have  not  some  of  them  in  their 
service.  Desaix,  with  his  flying  artillery,  drawn  by 
Norman  horses,  was  enabled  to  turn  the  tide  of  victory 
in  favor  of  Napoleon,  at  Marengo,  which,  but  for  this 
circumstance,  instead  of  a  victory,  would  have  been  a 
most  disastrous  defeat.  So,  too,  at  Dresden,  Napoleon 
owed  his  victory  to  his  cavalry,  and  they  to  their  Nor 
man  horses.  The  gens  d'armes,  throughout  France,  are 
mounted  on  those  noble  animals,  and  I  am  surprised  that 
pains  have  not  been  taken  to  introduce  them  into  the 
United  States. 

Our  road  lay  near  the  river  (Seine)  a  great  part  of 
the  time.  The  day  was  warm  and  very  dusty;  the 
country  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  The  roads  are 
all  paved,  similar  to  our  streets,  and  kept  in  complete 
repair  —  no  hedge,  ditch,  or  fence;  and  instead  of  forest 
-trees,  there  were  apple,  pear,  peach  and  other  fruit  trees, 
planted  by  their  sides,  from  which  we  could  gather  the 
fruit  as  we  rode,  and  did  so. 

One  peculiarity  in  France,  is  their  agriculturists  living 
in  compact  villages  of  a  single  street,  and  not  a  few  with 
grape  vines  running  up  the  fronts  of  their  houses.  The 
reason  for  their  living  thus  compactly  in  villages,  instead 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  175 

of  being  located  upon  their  farms,  as  in  England  and  the 
United  States,  which  would  be  much  more  convenient 
to  their  labor,  had  its  origin  in  the  danger  that  existed 
from  wild  beasts,  that  roamed  the  royal  forests  in  great 
numbers  before  the  revolution  of  '89,  and  frequently 
made  inroads  by  night  into  the  villages,  and  even  into 
the  towns  that  were  not  protected  by  walls  —  making 
great  havoc  with  the  gardens,  fruits,  and  domestic  animals, 
and  sometimes  destroying  the  villagers  themselves.  This 
circumstance  occurred  at  Chantilly,  in  1788,  on  the  estate 
of  the  Prince  of  Conde,  the  forests  of  which  then  extend 
ed  upwards  of  eighty  miles  ;  —  since  the  revolution,  they 
have  been  reduced  more  than  half;  and  numerous  farms 
and  villages,  and  mills,  giving  subsistence  and  employ 
ment  to  thousands,  have  taken  their  place.  We  passed 
a  large  drove  of  swine  this  day,  and  the  only  one  I  saw 
in  France.  They  were  of  a  long  lank  breed,  such  as  I 
should  not  recommend  to  American  agriculturists. 

Having  got  over  the  hills  of  Normandy,  our  team  was 
reduced  to  the  usual  number  of  four  horses.  We  had 
already  travelled  a  long  stage,  and  our  horses  were  cov 
ered  with  sweat  and  dust,  when  we  drove  up  to  an  inn : 
the  conductor,  who  had  been  sitting  by  my  side,  immedi 
ately  descended  and  entered,  (the  driver  kept  his  seat,) 
and  I  looked,  expecting  to  see  the  water  bucket  in  motion ; 
instead  of  which  he  brought  out  a  bottle,  and  with  the 
contents  washed  the  face  and  nostrils  of  each  horse,  and 
then  threw  a  little  up  their  nostrils.  He  was  absent 
from  his  seat  but  a  few  minutes,  when  we  started  again, 
our  horses  going  as  lively  as  if  just  out  of  the  stable.  I 


176  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

enquired  what  it  was  he  had  made  use  of?  the  answer 
was,  vinegar.  In  an  hour  after,  we  stopped  to  dinner  at 
a  town,  the  name  of  which  I  did  not  learn. 

There  were  twenty  at  dinner,  which  was  excellent, 
and  a  bottle  of  good  wine  between  every  two  plates 
round  the  table,  with  a  dessert  of  fruit,  and  all  for  two 
francs  per  head.  We  then  quit  Normandy,  and  entered  a 
vine  growing  country.  The  vines  generally  stood  about 
three  feet  and  a  half  high,  and  the  bunches  of  grapes 
extended  from  the  top  to  the  ground,  and  lodged  upon  it 
in  many  instances.  This  is  not  the  great  wine  district 
of  France ;  that  is  in  the  south.  We  arrived  at  the 
plain  of  Sablons  about  dusk,  famous  for  horse  racing ; 
and  it  was  nine  o'clock  when  we  reached  the  stage  office 
in  Paris,  t  took  lodgings  at  Murice's,  which  Planta,  in 
his  picture  of  Paris  says,  is  the  best  hotel  in  Europe.  He 
was  a  British  under  Secretary  of  State,  and  knew  what 
constituted  a  good  hotel. 

Paris,  August  17. —  In  order  to  make  the  most  of 
my  time  while  engaged  in  viewing  the  city  and  adjacent 
country,  I  every  night,  before  retiring,  laid  down  the  plan 
of  my  next  day's  journey,  as  they  were  called  by  my 
vakt  da  place,  who  was  an  intelligent  man,  and  spoke  the 
English  language  fluently ;  he  attended  me  in  all  my  ram 
bles,  so  that  I  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  the  most  correct 
information.  I  first  visited  the  halls  of  legislation,  and 
had  cause  to  regret  they  were  not  in  session  ;  therefore  I 
could  only  view  the  spacious  apartments  and  their  furni 
ture,  while  their  arrangements,  when  the  two  houses 
were  in  session,  were  distinctly  pointed  out  to  me  by  my 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  177 

conductor.  In  point  of  magnificence,  they  cannot  com 
pare  with  those  of  the  capitol  at  Washington.  The  cus 
tom  they  have  in  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  of  members, 
when  going  to  address  the  Chamber,  leaving  their  seats 
and  entering  the  tribune,  which  is  a  kind  of  box  immedi 
ately  in  front  of  the  president,  must  sometimes  create  great 
confusion,  particularly  when  several  start  for  it  at  once, 
which  not  unfrequently  happens. 

From  thence  I  went  to  the  court  house  —  a  civil  suit 
was  in  process,  which  was  conducted  in  a  manner  alto 
gether  new  to  me.  After  the  pleadings  of  counsel  were 
finished,  the  judge  left  the  bench,  and  came  down  and 
conversed  with  the  counsel  on  the  subject,  while  the 
jurors  were  present.  In  this  state  of  the  case,  I  left  the 
house,  and  crossing  the  square  saw  the  pillory  erected, 
only  a  foot,  or  two  from  the  ground,  and  four  men  made 
fast  to  it,  not  as  in  the  United  States,  but  by  a  collar 
round  their  necks ;  their  hands  being  tied  behind  them, 
they  stood,  apparently,  at  their  ease,  lolling  against  the 
post  in  the  centre,  and  joking  and  laughing  at  each  other. 
On  the  back  of  each  was  a  label,  in  large  letters,  setting 
forth  the  crimes  for  which  they  were  being  punished. 

I  passed  on  to  the  town  hall,  in  front  of  which  is 
the  celebrated  lamp  iron,  from  which  great  numbers 
were  suspended,  without  trial,  by  the  mob,  in  the 
dark  days  of  the  first  revolution.  It  is  impossible  to 
visit  this  spot,  and  some  others  which  I  shall  speak  of 
hereafter,  without  calling  to  mind  the  innumerable  scenes 
of  horror  that  were  perpetrated  on  it.  Here  every 
natural  tie  was  cut  asunder,  not  merely  with  indifference, 


178  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

but  with  a  fiend-like  joy  and  malignity,  at  which  humanity 
shuddered.  Here  children  witnessed  the  cold-blooded 
murder  of  their  fathers,  as  in  sport ;  wives  of  their  hus 
bands,  and  sisters  of  their  brothers.  At  the  cry  of  "  a  la 
lanterne"  thousands  of  miserable  victims  were  seized  upon 
in  the  streets,  in  their  houses,  in  their  beds,  at  the  altar  — 
there  was  no  sanctuary,  no  place  of  refuge  for  them  — 
and  hurried  away  to  the  fatal  lamp  iron,  by  fiends  in 
human  shape,  the  Jacobins  of  that  day.  I  pray  God  that 
ifihe  seeds  of  similar  scenes  are  already  being  sown  in 
this  country,  I  may  not  live  to  see  the  harvest. 

It  was  worthy  of  note,  the  manner  in  which  the  Paris 
ians  spoke  of  Napoleon  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  (1820.) 
I  was  viewing  the  immense  wine  markets  built  by  him, 
and  asked  my  conductor  who  was  the  author?  The 
answer  was  "  he  did  it,"  —  and  so  of  innumerable  other 
improvements,  a  similar  question  was  followed  by  a  sim 
ilar  answer,  never  naming  him.  They  dared  not  trust 
themselves  in  doing  it,  lest  their  feelings  should  get  the 
better  of  their  judgment,  and  they  should  commit  them 
selves.  In  fact,  almost  every  thing  that  was  great  and 
grand,  not  only  in  Paris,  but  in  France,  owed  its  origin 
to  Napoleon,  or  Louis  the  Fourteenth. 

At  the  time  here  spoken  of,  Paris  was  but  a  smothered 
volcano,  and  it  required  but  a  slight  stretch  of  the  imagin 
ation,  to  suppose  you  felt  the  hot  lava  beneath  your  feet. 
But  a  few  weeks  before  the  Duke  de  Berri  had  been 
assassinated,  as  he  came  out  of  the  theatre.  The  guards 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  theatres  were  doubled,  and  the 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  179 

people,  the  reflecting  part  of  them,  seemed  almost  afraid 
to  speak,  except  in  whispers. 

While  the  public  mind  was  in  this  feverish  state,  one 
Saturday  night,  a  regiment  of  the  royal  guards  revolted. 
On  Sunday  morning,  my  valet  came  into  my  room,  in 
great  trepidation,  and  whispered  the  important  fact  in  my 
ear,  and  at  the  same  time  informed  me  it  had  been  quelled 
with  little  difficulty.  The  barriers,  however,  had  been 
shut  on  one  side  of  the  city.  The  only  notice  taken  of  it, 
was  the  sending  them  into  the  country  the  next  morning. 
I  stood  at  the  end  of  the  bridge  to  see  them  pass,  when 
they  all  appeared  in  high  spirits. 

The  next  Sunday,  h;s  majesty,  Louis  the  Eighteenth, 
ordered  a  review  of  all  the  guards,  including  the  Swiss, 
in  front  of  the  palace,  and  it  was  understood  that  all  the 
great  officers  of  government,  civil  and  military,  would  be 
present.  I  was  anxious  to  see  how  this  review  would 
terminate,  and  consulted  my  host  upon  the  subject,  who 
told  me  to  write  a  note  to  the  prefect  of  the  palace,  and 
he  would  send  a  servant  with  that  and  my  passport.  I 
did  so,  and  received  a  ticket  of  admission.  The  great 
hall  at  the  head  of  the  state  stair  case,  was  nearly  full, 
and  when  the  king's  approach  was  announced,  the  grand 
marshall  arranged  them  in  the  order  in  which  they  were 
to  stand,  as  he  passed  between  them.  He  was  extremely 
fat,  and  clumsy,  and  had  the  gout  withal,  so  that  he  was 
obliged  to  have  a  supporter  on  each  side  ;  he  nodded,  for 
it  could  not  be  called  bowing,  as  he  passed,  and  entering 
the  adjoining  room,  he  took  his  seat,  and  was  trundled  out 
upon  the  balcony.  The  military  evolutions  then  commen- 


180  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

ced,  and  were  gone  through  with  without  any  unpleasant 
occurrence.  At  the  close,  after  paying  the  marching 
salute,  the  troops,  as  in  duty  bound,  gave  three  cheers. 
At  this  moment  a  young  gentleman,  with  the  eagle  of 
the  legion  of  honor  at  his  button  hole,  with  whom  I 
had  had  some  conversation,  proposed  to  me  to  go  down 
with  him,  into  the  great  square,  (where  an  immense  mul 
titude  had  assembled,)  and  get  the  people  to  cheer.  In  a 
minute  we  were  there;  he  mounted  an  elevation,  and, 
calling  upon  the  peope  to  cheer,  he  set  them  the  example, 
by  huzzaing  with  all  his  strength,  but  it  did  not  take ; 
there  were  but  few  responses.  This  satisfied  me  that  the 
king  was  very  unpopular,  and  the  day  was  not  very  dis 
tant,  when  there  would  be  an  outbreaking  of  the  popu 
lace.  This  did  not  happen,  however,  from  the  strict 
watch  that  was  kept  over  them,  until  he  had  been  gath 
ered  to  his  fathers,  and  Charles  the  Tenth  reigned  in  his 
stead. 

A  day  or  two  after  my  arrival,  I  called  on  Mr.  Galla- 
tin,  our  then  minister,  to  whom  I  had  an  introduction,  who 
received  me  with  an  ease  and  affability  I  had  not  been 
accustomed  to  witness  in  men  in  his  high  station.  I  had 
never  seen  him  before,  but  found  myself  as  completely  at 
ease  with  him  in  a  few  minutes,  as  if  I  had  known  him 
for  years,  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  he 
gave  me  as  much  insight  into  the  then  political  state  of 
Europe,  in  one  hour,  as  I  could  have  obtained  by  reading, 
in  a  month.  I  left  him  with  the  promise  of  dining  with 
him  the  next  day. 

The  next  morning  I  commenced  my  journey  with  a 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  181 

descent  into  the  Catacombs.  There  were  about  twenty 
ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  party,  and  each  carried  a  wax 
taper,  not  simply  to  afford  light  for  seeing  the  objects 
that  were  arranged  there,  but  to  light  ourselves  back  to 
earth  again ;  for  being  once  caught  in  the  dark,  in  those 
subterranean  regions,  the  chance  of  ever  seeing  light 
again,  would  be  rather  doubtful.  They  extend  for  miles, 
and  the  numerous  turns  and  avenues  form  a  labyrinth 
from  which  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  escape,  but 
that  a  black  line  is  drawn  from  the  entrance,  over  your 
head,  which,  while  kept  in  view,  is  a  safe  and  sure  guide 
back  from  whence  you  came. 

The  different  avenues  are  very  irregular,  both  in  their 
height  and  breadth,  sometimes  compelling  you  to  stoop 
in  a  narrow  passage,  while  at  others  you  found  yourself 
beneath  a  dome  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  height,  and 
spread  out  to  as  great  or  greater  distance.  The  first 
object  that  strikes  the  attention,  is  the  sculls,  of  which 
there  were  then  about  three  millions  and  a  half,  piled  up 
in  rows,  to  the  top,  or  as  far  as  could  be  reached ;  such 
as  were  remarkable  for  any  natural  defect,  or  injury,  were 
put  by  themselves,  for  more  minute  observation  than  the 
mass  required. 

The  student  of  anatomy  had  here  an  opportunity  of 
perfecting  himself,  in  a  knowledge  of  the  human  skull,  no 
where  else  to  be  met  with,  and  the  very  first  sight  of  them 
would  put  a  phrenologist  in  an  ecstasy.  Among  them  we 
observed  several  of  natural  born  idiots,  of  most  singular 
structure  ;  one  of  them  particularly,  bore  a  strong  resem 
blance  to  a  cone  with  the  apex  broken  off.  After  these 

VOL.   I.  16 


182  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

came  the  bones  of  the  thigh,  leg,  upper,  and  then  lower 
joint  of  the  arm,  each  by  themselves,  in  regular  order. 
Of  these,  such  as  were  remarkable  were  selected  and  pla 
ced  by  themselves.  There  was  a  bone  of  an  arm  that  had 
been  broken  about  three  inches  from  the  wrist,  which,  for 
want  of  being  set,  had  lapped  over  upwards  of  two  inches, 
and  grown  together  perfectly  solid.  Having  completed 
our  subterranean  tour,  we  once  more  emerged  to  the 
light  of  day. 

The  smell,  from  this  mass  of  human  remains,  was  not 
very  disagreeable,  although  of  a  very  singular  odour.  I 
have  been  told  that  the  catacombs  have  been  closed  ever 
since  1821  ;  fer  an  obvious  reason,  to  prevent  their  being 
occupied  by  banditti,  or  the  mob.  The  origin  of  these 
catacombs  is  worthy  of  particular  notice.  At  the  darkest 
period  of  the  first  revolution,  amidst  scenes  of  blood  and 
carnage,  a  very  fatal  disease  broke  out  in  a  section  of 
the  city  containing  a  large  portion  of  the  burial  grounds 
which  had  its  origin  in  the  decomposition  of  the  numerous 
half  buried  bodies  that  were  deposited  there  in  heaps. — - 
The  city  authorities  turned  their  attention  at  once,  not 
only  to  present  remedy,  but  to  future  prevention.  The 
bodies  were  disinterred  and  burnt,  and  the  bones  deposi 
ted  in  the  catacombs.  This  was  for  a  remedy.  For 
future  prevention,  the  grounds  of"  Pere  la  Chaise"  were 
laid  out  for  a  city  of  the  dead.  They  consist  of  about 
seventy  acres,  upon  an  eminence,  from  which  you  have 
a  fine  view  of  the  city.  These  grounds  exhibit  every 
variety  of  memento  of  the  departed,  from  a  simple  stick, 
marked  with  initials,  to  the  most  splendid  mausoleum. — 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  18,1 

On  the  anniversary  of  a  particular  day  in  September,  it 
is  the  custom  for  the  relatives  of  the  deceased,  to  repair 
to  the  sepulchre  of  their  departed  friends,  and  strew  them 
with  flowers.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  witness  this 
anniversary,  which  was  full  of  interest,  and  calculated  to 
bring  into  action  all  the  best  feelings  of  our  nature. — 
There  I  saw  the  widow,  in  all  the  agony  of  grief,  kneel 
ing  at  the  tomb  of  her  departed  husband ;  parents  be 
dewing  the  graves  of  their  children  with  their  tears,  and 
children  offering  up  their  prayers  for  the  souls  of  their 
deceased  parents.  Among  the  most  interesting  monu 
ments,  was  the  tomb  of  Abbelard  and  Eloise,  which 
occupies  a  conspicuous  place  among  these  mansions  of 
the  dead. 

The  Pantheon  is  a  noble  building,  and  when  we  unite 
with  the  beauty  of  its  architecture,  the  use  to  which  it  is 
applied,  it  gives  rise  to  emotions  both  painful  and  pleas 
ing.  Over  the  portico  are  these  words,  "a  grateful 
country  to  her  benefactors"  I  descended  to  its  vaulted 
tombs  —  each  vault  is  about  ten  feet  square,  with  a  single 
tomb  in  the  centre.  It  consists  of  a  plain  pannel  on  each 
side,  and  at  the  head  and  foot,  with  a  heavy  marble  slab 
at  top,  on  which  the  name  is  engraved.  They  were 
all  similar,  except  Rosseau's,  who  must  have  been  a  great 
favorite  with  the  artist,  for  the  inventive  genius  of  man 
could  scarcely  contrive  any  thing  more  striking  than  is 
here  exhibited.  It  is  this  —  his  /ight  arm  is  represented 
as  having  burst  open  the  head  of  the  tomb,  from  which  it 
projects  at  least  a  foot,  with  the  hand  grasping  and  hold- 


184  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

ing  up  the  torch  of  truth.      The  idea  is  beautiful,  and 
beautifully  executed. 

I  next  visited  the  Observatory,  a  large,  handsome 
building,  with  a  deep  well  in  the  centre,  and  one  of  Her- 
schel's  great  telescopes,  some  twenty  feet  in  length,  or 
more,  immediately  over  it.  (I  am  curious  to  know  whe 
ther  this  great  Observatory,  and  telescope,  with  all  their 
appliances,  are  the  same  that  I  read  of  in  a  morning  pa 
per,  a  few  days  ago,  as  being  placed  under  a  very  sim 
ple  shed  ! )  From  the  top,  was  a  beautiful  view  of  a  large 
part  of  the  city.  This  closed  my  day's  journey,  and  I 
repaired  to  my  hotel,  and  from  thence  to  Mr.  Gallatin's 
at  half  past  four,  to  dinner,  where  I  met  a  cousin  of  Mr. 
Gallatin,  who  was  a  general  officer  in  the  French  ser 
vice,  young  Mr.  Carroll,  grandson  of  the  signer  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  with  the  family,  consisting 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gallatin,  and  daughter,  and  the  Secre 
tary  of  Legation.  The  dinner  was  very  good,  and  there 
was  no  ostentation.  There  was  a  choice  of  wines,  and 
Mr.  G.  asked  me  which  I  preferred  ?  To  which  I  re 
plied,  I  was  not  very  particular,  but  would  take  Hermi 
tage.  Mr.  Gallatin  remarked,  I  had  been  in  Paris  long 
enough  to  become  acquainted  with  the  best  wine  in  it. — 
After  two  or  three  glasses  round,  the  company  withdrew 
to  the  drawing-room,  when  coffee  was  served.  He  who 
never  drank  coffee  in  Paris,  does  not  know  what  good 
coffee  is.  A  little  while  after,  the  party  wras  joined  by 
Mr.  Irving,  our  then,  late  minister  to  Spain.  I  had  known 
him  in  London,  when  he  was  Consul  there. 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  185 

Mr.  Gallatin  enquired  what  I  had  seen  of  Paris,  and 
when  I  told  him  of  that  day's  journey,  he  declared  I  had 
seen  more  of  it  than  he  had,  although  he  had  been  there 
a  number  of  years.  He  told  me  of  his  first  introduction 
to  Alexander  of  Russia,  who,  when  Mr.  G's.  name  was 
announced,  instead  of  receiving  him  seated,  in  the  usual 
way,  rose  and  met  him,  and  presenting  him  his  hand,  said, 
"  Mr.  Gallatin,  I  am  glad  to  see  you.  I  have  long  known 
you  by  reputation,  and  now  I  shall  be  happy  in  your  per 
sonal  acquaintance."  There  was  a  condescension  and 
affability  in  this  reception,  that  could  not  but  be  pleasing 
to  the  American  ambassador,  and  what  made  it  more  so, 
the  allied  sovereigns  were  present.  It  must  have  been 
wormwood  to  the  haughty  Emperor  of  Austria. 

Mr.  Gallatin  reminded  me  of  Franklin,  as  he  appears 
in  his  writings.  It  is  impossible  to  converse  with  him, 
without  learning  something  worth  knowing.  I  have  met 
with  very  few  such  clear  heads  as  his  —  every  word  that 
comes  from  him,  tells.  I  had  a  long  conversation  with 
Mrs.  Gallatin.  She  had  near  relatives  in  Baltimore,  with 
whom  I  was  acquainted ;  and  it  was  gratifying  to  me  to 
be  able  to  give  her  late  and  pleasing  intelligence  of  them. 
Eleven  o'clock  having  arrived,  I  took  leave,  accompanied 
by  Mr.  Carroll,  but  not  until  an  agreement  was  entered 
into,  to  meet  at  Versailles,  the  next  Sunday.  I  was  there, 
but  Mr.  Gallatin  did  not  come,  a  circumstance  which  I 
greatly  regretted. 

The  Louvre. — The  facade  of  this  palace  is  one  of  the 
most  splendid  pieces  of  architecture  in  Europe.  The 

16* 


186  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

Gallery  of  Paintings  in  it,  numbered  upwards  of  twelve 
hundred  and  fifty,  (of  which  I  had  a  catalogue,  but  have 
lost  it,)  by  all  the  great  masters  of  ancient  and  modern 
times.  It  would  require  weeks  to  view  them  attentively, 
and  to  describe  them,  would  take  volumes,  and  the  pen 
of  a  connoisseur,  to  which  I  lay  no  claim.  At  one  of 
my  visits,  on  a  Sunday,  there  were  four  chimney  sweeps 
among  the  crowd,  lounging  very  leisurely  through  the 
immense  gallery,  and  making  their  observations  to  each 
other.  It  was,  to  me,  truly  gratifying  to  see  them  ;  there 
were  none  who  appeared  to  enjoy  the  sight  more.  What 
a  contrast  to  the  state  of  things  before  the  first  revolu 
tion,  when  no  man  was  allowed  to  walk  in  the  gardens 
of  the  chateau,  except  in  full  dress,  bag  wig,  and  sword. 
There  was  a  barber,  in  those  days,  who  took  great  de 
light  in  promenading  in  those  beautiful  grounds,  and,  con 
forming  to  the  rules  of  dress,  he  was  admitted  without 
question. 

The  short  space  of  time  allowed  me  to  bestow  on  the 
paintings  in  this  gallery,  and  the  great  number  there 
were,  made  it  impossible  to  retain  a  distinct  recollection 
of  any  number  of  them.  There  was  one,  however,  the 
boldness  of  its  design,  and  the  beauty  of  its  execution, 
added  to  its  great  size,  could  not  escape  my  more  partic 
ular  notice.  It  was  the  triumphal  entry  of  Henry  the 
Fourth  into  Paris.  The  figures  were  all  as  large  as  life. 
The  graceful  ease  with  which  Henry  sat  on  his  horse, 
(which  appeared  as  a  thing  of  life,)  and  the  sweet  expres 
sion  of  his  countenance,  as  he  saluted  those  around  him, 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  187 

left  an  indelible  impression  on  my  mind,  and  brought 
the  excellence  of  his  character,  and  the  manner  of  his 
untimely  death,  fresh  to  my  remembrance. 

The  attention  of  the  French  to  foreigners,  (to  be  met 
with  in  no  other  country,)  was  here  conspicuous  —  they 
were  freely  admitted  at  all  times,  while  the  mass  of  their 
own  citizens  were  only  admitted  on  Sundays.  I  next 
visited  the  Gallery  of  Statuary,  situated  on  the  ground 
floor,  in  the  same  building.  Here,  again,  the  vast  num 
ber  of  objects  tended  to  distract  the  attention  —  but  there 
were  a  number,  the  names  of  which  are  known  to  all  who 
have  the  least  knowledge  of  heathen  mythology,  that 
could  not  fail  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  slightest  ob 
server  :  I  allude  to  the  Venus  de  Medicis ;  the  Apollo 
Belvidere  ;  the  Apollo  of  the  Vatican  ;  the  -  -  Her 
cules,  and  the  group  of  Laocoon  and  his  sons.  Those 
are  all  master  pieces  of  the  sculptor's  art,  with  numerous 
othsrs  ;  among  them,  some  in  colored  marbles  —  of  those, 
a  Venus,  in  black  Egyptian  marble,  was  most  conspic 
uous. 

I  will  now  take  leave  of  the  Louvre,  and  visit  the 
Luxemburg.  There  were  about  one  hundred  and  thirty 
paintings,  a  number  of  them  by  David;  for  instance,  the 
judgment  of  Brutus  ;  the  funeral  of  his  son ;  the  rape  of 
the  Sabines ;  the  Horatii  receiving  their  swords,  &c.,  the 
figures  in  all  of  which  were  as  large  as  life. 

There  were  two  paintings  in  this  collection,  which, 
were  they  mine,  I  would  not  exchange  for  any  two  others 
I  ever  saw.  One  was  by  a  then  living  artist,  whose 
name  has  escaped  me.  The  subject  was  "  the  Deluge;" 


188  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

the  canvass  about  seven  or  eight  feet  in  height,  by  four 
in  breadth.  On  the  right  was  a  ledge  of  rocks,  over 
which  the  waters  were  pouring  in  cataracts.  Near  the 
top  of  which,  from  a  cleft,  grew  a  large  tree ;  a  man  of 
middle  age  clung  round  a  limb  of  it  with  both  his  arms ; 
on  his  shoulders  was  his  aged  father,  clinging  to  him,  a 
beautiful  female,  the  wife  of  the  son ;  on  her  bosom,  an 
infant  crying,  so  true  to  nature,  that  I  almost  imagined 
that  I  heard  it ;  clinging  to  her  again,  was  a  beautiful 
girl  of  about  six  years ;  and  at  their  feet,  floating  on  the 
surface  of  the  deep,  was  another,  (of  the  apparent  age  of 
ten,)  dead :  while  thus  situated,  the  limb  breaks,  and  they 
are  all  being  precipitated  into  the  abyss  of  waters.  The 
coloring  was  of  the  new  French  school,  and  so  true  to 
nature,  that  before  I  was  aware,  I  found  myself  feeling 
of  it  to  ascertain  its  reality.  I  saw  several  gentlemen 
and  one  lady  do  the  same,  while  tears  poured  down  the 
cheeks  of  more  than  one  of  them.  They  were  French. 
An  Englishman  would  have  seated  himself,  and  leaning 
forward  with  a  hand  on  each  knee,  pronounced  it  a  fine 
painting  —  a  very  fine  painting  indeed !  and  want  to 
know  the  price  of  it  immediately ;  while  the  Frenchman 
saw  no  painting  at  all  —  to  him  it  was  all  a  reality. 

The  other  picture,  to  which  I  have  alluded,  was  about 
three  by  two  and  a  half  feet.  It  represented  a  banditti 
of  three  or  four,  who  had  stopped,  with  the  intent  to  rob 
Tasso,  the  great  author  of  Jerusalem  delivered.  They 
are  seated  on  the  ground,  overhauling  his  baggage,  when 
they  find  a  volume  of  the  poem ;  at  sight  of  which,  and 
learning  from  him  that  he  was  the  author,  they  restore 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  189 

every  thing  with  the  most  humble  apology.  The  scene 
represents  the  moment  when  they  found  the  volume,  and 
learned  that  he  was  its  author.  I  should  like  to  know 
how  long  it  will  be  before  the  bandits  of  the  Mississippi 
valley  show  a  like  veneration  for  literature. 

I  now  come  to  the  Hotel  of  the  Invalids.  This  build 
ing  is  the  most  conspicuous  of  any  in  all  Paris  ;  not  more 
for  the  seventeen  acres  of  ground  that  are  included  within 
its  walls  and  courts,  than  for  its  large,  lofty,  gilt  dome. 
This  gilding  was  the  work  of  Napoleon,  and  when  the 
sun  shines  upon  it,  the  brilliancy  is  too  great  for  the  eye. 
It  has  a  clock  of  great  size,  beautiful  workmanship,  and 
extraordinary  mechanism,  all  of  which  is  exhibited  through 
the  glass  of  a  window. 

I  spent  near  half  a  day  in  looking  through  this  vast 
palace,  which  then  had  upwards  of  seven  thousand  inhab 
itants,  and  had  had  more  than  twice  that  number.  I 
commenced  in  the  kitchen,  where  the  furnaces  were  in 
operation  preparing  dinner.  I  never  yet  saw  the  hotel, 
or  private  dwelling,  where  there  was  more  cleanliness 
and  order  of  arrangement.  From  the  kitchen  I  went  to 
the  dining  room.  The  tables  were  set  out  for  dinner, 
and  made  a  formidable  display  of  neatness  and  regularity. 
I  next  entered  the  library,  consisting,  at  that  time,  of  ten 
thousand  volumes  of  valuable  books,  the  appearance  of 
which  was  sufficient  evidence  that  they  were  not  kept 
for  show.  From  thence  to  one  of  the  bed  chambers, 
where  there  were  two  rows  of  beds  extending  some 
hundreds  of  feet,  with  a  case  of  drawers  between  every 
two  of  them.  The  next  object  to  which  my  attention 


190  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

was  called,  was  the  magnificent  chapel,  directly  under 
the  great  dome,  which  appeared  at  a  fearful  height  over 
my  head.  The  floor  on  which  I  stood  was  by  far  the 
most  beautiful  piece  of  mosaic  I  ever  saw  :  on  either 
hand,  against  the  wall,  was  a  monument  of  pure  white 
marble,  elegant  in  design,  and  perfect  in  execution  ;  the 
one  to  the  right  of  the  great  altar  bore  simply  the  name 
of"  Conde"  while  that  to  the  left,  in  like  manner,  bore 
that  of  "  Turenne"  Louis  the  Fourteenth  presented  this 
establishment  with  a  magnificent  suite  of  plate,  which,  of 
course,  is  only  used  on  great  occasions.  I  shall  here 
close  my  notice  of  this  magnificent  building,  which,  to  do 
it  justice,  would  require  a  volume. 

On  a  Sunday,  during  divine  service,  I  entered  the  great 
cathedral  church  of  Notre  Dame,  and  began  to  view  the 
splendid  paintings  that  adorn  its  walls.  While  thus  en 
gaged,  one  of  the  priests  came  to  me,  and  very  politely 
requested  me  to  continue  my  view  of  the  paintings  until 
the  service  was  over,  when  he  would  attend  me  through 
the  building,  and  show  me  the  curiosities  it  contained :  I 
did  so.  At  the  expiration  of  about  twenty  minutes,  he 
returned  to  me,  and  I  accompanied  him  up  stairs,  where, 
among  a  variety  of  other  relics,  he  exhibited  to  me  a 
piece  of  the  veritable  cross,  which  he  informed  me  was 
brought  to  Paris  by  Saint  Louis,  on  his  first  entrance 
into  that  city.  Also,  a  number  of  rings  of  great  anti 
quity,  that  were  worn  by  the  fathers  of  the  church.  He 
then  proceeded  to  show  me  the  coronation  robes  worn 
by  Napoleon ;  they  were  most  splendidly  wrought  with 
gold,  upon  a  purple  velvet  ground,  and  formed  a  com- 


LAST    SIXTY-FIVE    YEARS.  191 

plete  circle.  When  he  wore  them,  they  were  studded 
with  his  favorite  emblem,  the  bee ;  but  the  Bourbons 
had  made  them  give  place  to  their  ancient  emblem,  the 
Jleur  de  Us.  This  struck  me  as  exhibiting  a  littleness  of 
mind  that  should  not  have  been  so  betrayed.  With  this 
exception,  they  were  as  when  he  wore  them.  After  his 
coronation,  he  presented  them  to  this  church,  to  be  worn 
only  on  state  occasions  by  the  archbishop ;  their  weight 
was  seventy-eight  pounds. 

I  shall  now  speak  of  the  Royal  Library,  which  at  that 
time  contained  about  six  hundred  thousand  volumes,  (it 
has  since  been  increased  to  upwards  of  eight  hundred 
thousand.)  besides  forty  thousand  volumes  of  manuscripts, 
and  a  vast  collection  of  ancient  coins  and  medals,  all  of 
which  were  spread  out  before  the  stranger,  in  a  manner 
that  showed  they  took  pleasure  in  doing  it.  The  building 
forms  a  hollow  square,  and  the  first  thing  that  strikes  you 
on  entrance,  is  a  bronze  statue  of  Voltaire,  seated  at  the 
table,  (his  costume  a  morning  wrapper,)  common  to  all 
who  visit  the  library,  and  wish  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
use  cf  any  of  the  books  it  contains  ;  it  is  only  to  ask,  and 
the  librarian  attends  your  call  with  perfect  affability  and 
politeness ;  there  you  are  provided  with  pens,  ink,  and 
paper,  and  may  make  whatever  extracts  you  please. 
There  are  exhibited  a  pair  of  globes,  of  twelve  or  four 
teen  feet  diameter,  I  am  not  certain  which  ;  they  stand  in 
the  room  below,  and  an  opening  in  the  ceiling  admits  just 
one  half  of  the  ball  through  into  the  library,  where  you 
can  stand  and  turn  them  as  you  wish,  with  perfect  ease. 
Another  object  worthy  of  particular  attention,  is  a  table 


192  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

about  fifteen  feet  in  length,  by  four  or  five  in  breadth, 
which  is  covered,  two,  or  three  inches  deep,  with  sand 
brought  from  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  pyramids 
of  Egypt,  and  on  this  sand  the  three  principal  pyramids 
are  exhibited,  in  exact  bearing  and  proportion  to  their 
great  originals :  another,  and  the  last  I  shall  notice,  is 
Mount  Parnassus,  in  bronze,  rising  two  or  three  feet  in 
height,  exhibiting  the  poets  of  the  age  of  Louis  AlV,  in 
figures  about  four  inches  high,  toiling  up  the  mountain^ 
while  Louis  is  standing  on  the  summit,  and  extending  his 
hand  to  the  one  nearest  him ;  the  whole  is  unique  and 
beautiful. 

The   mint   is   particularly  worthy  of  the  traveller's 
attention.     I  found  the  door  open  and  walked  in,  but  saw 
no  one,  and  observed  to  a  gentleman  with  me,  that  pos 
session  was  eleven  points  of  the  law.     This  was  heard 
by  an  elderly  gentleman,  who  was  screened  from  my 
view  :  he  came  forward.     I  told  him  my  errand,  and  he 
politely  showed  me  to  a  stair  way,  observing,  I  would 
meet  with  no  interruption  up  stairs,  and  when  I  came 
down  he  would  conduct  me  to  other  parts  of  the  building. 
When  at  the  top  of  the  stairs,  I  entered  a  room  of  great 
extent,  which  was  filled  with  rows  of  glass  cases,  contain 
ing  the  finest  collection  of  minerals  and  fossils  in  the 
world,  every  specimen  of  which  was  labelled,  both  in 
Latin  and  French,  and  were  only  protected  by  the  glass. 
I  spent  two  hours  in  viewing  them,  and  then  was  shown 
into  the  apartment  of  medals  ;  there  I  could  have  spent  a 
day  with  pleasure,  but  having  devoted  as  much  time  as  I 
could  spare,  to  those  beautiful  works  of  art  and  useful- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  193 

ness,  I  purchased  two,  Washington  and  Franklin,  and  bid 
adieu  to  the  mint. 

The  Temple  was  a  State  prison,  in  which  Louis  the 
Sixteenth  and  his  family  were  confined ;  it  was  long  since 
razed  to  the  ground,  but  a  perfect  model  had  been  pre 
viously  taken  of  it,  and  was  then  made  a  show  of  by  an 
old  lady  ;  I  could  not  readily  find  the  place  of  exhibition, 
although  I  knew  I  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  it.  A 
woman  was  standing  at  a  wash-tub  at  a  corner  of  a 
street,  and  I  sent  my  valet  to  make  inquiry  of  her  ;  when 
a  scene  took  place,  which  illustrated  the  French  charac 
ter  better  than  a  volume.  Isaac,  my  valet,  approached 
the  lady  of  the  suds,  with  hat  in  hand,  and  a  most  pro 
found  bow  ;  good  morning,  madam  ;  good  morning,  sir  ; 
(as  she  wiped  her  wet  hands  upon  her  apron,)  very  fine 
morning,  madam  ;  yes  sir,  very  pleasant,  indeed.  After 
a  little  more  conversatiun  of  the  same  kind,  Isaac  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  embassy,  which  were  simply  to 
inquire  the  way  to  where  the  model  of  the  temple  was 
exhibited.  The  lady  did  not  know  where  it  was,  and 
made  a  long  apology  for  her  ignorance.  Mr.  Isaac,  not 
to  be  behind  hand  with  her,  was  profuse  in  his  apologies 
for  having  troubled  her  on  the  occasion ;  and  then  came 
the  leave  taking  —  again  it  was  good  morning,  madam  ; 
good  morning,  sir;  with  the  most  respectful  bowing,  on 
the  one  part,  and  courtesing  to  the  ground,  on  the  other. 

I  asked  Isaac  why  he  could  not  have  put  a  direct  ques 
tion,  received  a  direct  answer,  and  returned  immediately : 
he  broke  out  in  the  following  exclamation :  "  My  God 
sir,  that  would  never  do  in  Paris  ;  it  might  do  in  London, 

VOL.  I.  17 


194  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

or  in  the  United  States,  I  beg  pardon,  sir.  but  it  would 
never  do  in  Paris."  I  found  the  place  in  a  few  minutes 
after,  and  saw  and  examined  the  object  of  my  visit,  the 
most  interesting  part  of  which,  was  the  manner  pointed 
out  to  me  by  which  the  unfortunate  Louis  and  his  family 
contrived  to  hold  intercourse,  when  so  much  pains  had 
been  taken  to  prevent  it,  by  confining  them  in  different 
stories.  It  was  this :  they  wrote  what  they  wished  to 
communicate,  and  at  night  lowered  it  down  by  a  thread, 
from  whence  it  was  taken,  and  another  put  in  its  place 
and  drawn  up. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  the  place  Vendome,  a  very  large 
square,  in  which  stands  Napoleon's  celebrated  bronze 
column,  made  of  three  hundred  pieces  of  cannon,  taken 
by  him  at  the  battle  of  Austerlitz.  Its  height,  if  my 
memory  serves,  is  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  Its  diam 
eter  sufficient  to  admit  a  winding  stairway  from  the  bot 
tom  to  the  top.  The  column  was  crowned  with  a  col- 
lossal  statue  of  Napoleon.  On  tlie  restoration  of  the 
Bourbons,  it  was  taken  down,  and  its  place  occupied  by 
the  white  flag.  Since  their  expulsion,  it  has  been  resto 
red  by  Louis  Phillippe. 

The  greatest  beauty  of  this  unequalled  monument  is  the 
spiral  has  relief,  ascending  from  the  base  to  the  top, 
exhibiting  in  its  progress,  his  numerous  battles  in  figures, 
about  six  inches  in  length.  In  the  same  square,  and 
immediately  in  front  of  the  gate  of  the  Tuilleries,  was 
Napoleon's  grand  triumphal  arch,  on  the  top  of  which  stood 
the  celebrated  Corinthian  horses,  in  bronze,  brought  from 
St.  Mark's  palace,  at  Venice,  and  were  sent  back  from 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  195 

whence  they  came,  by  the  allies,  at  the  restoration,  in 
common  with  numerous  other  pieces  of  art,  taken  in  like 
manner  from  the  different  capitals  of  Europe. 

The  square  of  Louis  the  Sixteenth.  —  It  was  on  that 
square  that  the  guillotine  was  permanently  erected,  in  the 
first  revolution.  There  it  was  that  an  amiable  mon 
arch,  the  friend  of  these  United  States,  but  for  whose 
aid  we  might  not  have  obtained  our  independence,  suf 
fered  an  ignominious  death.  There  it  was  that  Maria 
Antoinette,  his  beauteous  queen,  and  the  most  splendid 
woman  in  Europe,  was  beheaded.  There  it  was  that 
the  amiable  and  accomplished  Brissot  de  Warville,  with 
nearly  fifty  of  his  political  followers  met  their  fate  in  one 
morning.  There  it  was  that  the  fiend  Danton  and  his 
followers,  yielded  up  their  lives  to  the  justice  of  an  abu 
sed  country.  There  it  was  that  the  fiend  Robespierre 
and  his  followers,  were  brought  to  public  justice  —  and 
there  it  was  that  thousands  of  the  good  and  patriotic 
were  immolated  by  the  infernal  Jacobins.  It  is  proper 
here  to  observe,  that  when  the  news  of  the  death  of 
Louis  the  Sixteenth  reached  Providence,  R.  I.,  the  bells 
were  tolled  in  token  of  respect  for  his  memory.  There 
may  have  been  other  instances,  but  it  was  not  my  good 
fortune  to  hear  of  them.  He  was  no  longer  of  service 
to  us,  and  that  accounts  for  it. 

On  one  side  of  this  square,  were  the  statues  of  two  ram 
pant  wild  horses,  with  bridles  held  short  by  the  head,  by 
grooms ;  they  were  admirable  specimens  of  sculpture, 
from  the  chisel  of  Houdon. 

The  Boulivards  were  a  beautiful  shaded  promenade, 


196  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

with  a  wide  carriage-way  alongside,  extending  nearly,  or 
quite  round  the  city.  Here  the  citizens  congregated  on 
summer  evenings  to  walk,  or  to  sit  and  chat  in  groups, 
as  inclination  dictated.  Chairs  were  hired  for  a  cent 
each,  and  it  was  common  to  see  six  or  eight,  who  were 
acquainted,  and  perhaps  neighbors,  seated  in  a  circle, 
enjoying  themselves  in  conversation,  or  looking  at  the 
thousands  of  well-dressed  people  who  passed  in  review 
before  them  —  affording,  altogether,  a  most  rational  and 
unexceptionable  scene  of  enjoyment. 

The  Tuilleries,  or  Chateau,  as  the  Parisians  generally 
call  it,  has  long  been  the  favorite  town  residence  of 
the  monarchs  of  France.  This  palace  took  its  name 
from  the  spot  where  it  stands,  having  once  been  a  yard 
where  tiles  were  made,  with  which  to  roof  houses.  The 
pleasure  grounds  attached  to  it  are  extensive,  and  very 
beautifully  ornamented  with  a  great  variety  of  statuary ; 
and  it  is  a  singular  fact,  that  does  honor  to  the  populace, 
that  in  the  numerous  and  horrible  outbreaks  of  the  revo 
lution,  there  were  but  two  of  them  injured,  (except  those 
of  royalty,  and  they  were  all  destroyed  throughout  the 
kingdom.)  One  of  those  was  Laocoon,  in  the  group  of 
that  name ;  his  arm  was  broken :  the  other  I  do  not 
recollect.  I  have  heard  recently,  that  those  beautiful 
walks  are  no  longer  open  to  the  public.  I  hope  it  is  not 
true. 

The  theatres  of  Paris  were  numerous,  but  I  only  visited 
three  or  four  of  them.  The  theatre  Franqais  was  among 
the  largest  in  Europe,  and  there,  performers  of  the  great 
est  merit  were  generally  retained.  At  the  time  here 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  197 

alluded  to,  the  great  Talma  was  still  living,  and  per 
formed  occasionally  —  of  which  several  days'  notice  was 
given.  I  saw  him  in  the  Earl  of  Essex,  (a  translation 
from  the  English.)  There  was  not  a  vacant  seat  in  the 
house,  which  was  as  still  as  a  church,  and  infinitely  more 
so  than  some  I  could  name,  except  when  some  eminent 
performer  came  on,  or  being  on,  made  a  hit ;  then  there 
was  a  distinct  round  of  applause,  loud,  but  not  long. 
There  was  neither  eating,  nor  drinking  at  their  theatres ; 
people  went  to  see  and  to  hear,  and  were  satisfied  with 
the  gratification  of  those  two  senses.  When  Talma 
came  on,  there  were  three  distinct  rounds  of  applause ; 
to  which  he  paid  no  other  attention,  than  a  slight  inclina 
tion  of  his  head.  It  was  to  see  him  that  I  went,  and 
great  as  my  expectations  were,  they  fell  far  short  of  the 
reality.  I  had  seen  Cook,  Kemble,  Kean,  McCradie, 
and  a  host  of  others,  in  their  best  days,  but  Talma  was 
as  superior  to  either  of  them,  as  Mrs.  Siddons  was  to 
the  general  run  of  stock  actresses.  I  have  no  idea  that 
he  ever  had  an  equal,  except  Garrick. 

It  is  in  the  French  theatres,  that  Shakspeare's  beautiful 
idea  is  realized  —  "  They  hold  the  mirror  up  to  nature." 
Their  ghosts  are  taught  better  manners  than  to  come 
upon  the  stage  ;  they  hold  colloquy  with  the  actor  from 
behind  the  scenes,  or,  if  seen,  they  are  visible  only  to 
him,  or  her  who  addresses  them.  I  had  heard  much  of 
the  indelicacy  of  the  dress  of  the  French  ladies  —  I  saw 
none  of  it ;  on  the  contrary,  neatness  and  elegant  sim 
plicity  marked  both  their  dress,  and  address. 

The  next  place  I  shall  speak  of,  is  the  Garden  of  Plants. 


17* 


198  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

Of  this  establishment  I  could  only  take  a  cursory  view  ; 
the  vast  variety  of  objects,  other  than  plants,  that  were 
there  presented  to  view,  would  require  a  great  deal  of 
time,  and  a  volume  to  describe  them.  The  botanical 
collection  was  unquestionably  the  largest  in  the  world  ; 
to  this  was  added  an  anatomical  museum  in  wax,  an 
extensive  menagerie,  and  other  objects. 

The  Bourse,  or  Exchange,  promised  to  be  a  very 
splendid  building,  although  then  in  an  unfinished  state. 
It  has  been  finished  since,  and  has  a  magnificent  colon 
nade. 

The  Gobelin  Tapestry  manufactory  had  its  name  from 
the  founder  ;  it  was  the  weaving  of  pictures  in  colored 
worsteds,  and  was  carried  to  great  perfection.  I  noticed 
in  one  of  the  rooms,  a  full  length  portrait  of  Mary  An 
toinette,  the  unfortunate  queen  of  Louis  the  Sixteenth  ; 
it  was  nearly  completed,  and  made  a  most  beautiful 
picture  ;  the  artist  was  then  engaged  upon  the  face,  to 
which  he  gave  the  most  beautiful  tints  of  red  and  white. 
There  were  several  pieces  in  the  looms,  and  a  number 
hung  up,  which  had  been  made  for  years,  and  were  for 
sale ;  the  prices  were  very  high,  but  I  do  not  recollect 
-the  amount.  The  colors  had  stood  the  test  of  time, 
without  fading.  This  factory  belonged  to  the  crown,  as 
did  several  others  I  shall  mention. 

As  I  stept  into  the  looking-glass  factory,  I  met  the 
hands  going  to  dinner  ;  they  immediately  went  back  and 
showed  me  the  whole  process  of  manufacturing.  In  one 
of  the  rooms  I  saw  a  sample  plate,  which  was  about 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  199 

eleven  feet   high,  by  five  wide;    price  28,000  francs. 
This  was  another  of  the  royal  factories. 

Without  the  city,  three  or  four  miles,  was  the  Persian 
carpet  establishment;  the  productions  of  those  looms 
were  solely  for  the  use  of  the  royal  palaces.  There 
was  a  carpet  recently  finished,  in  a  single  piece  of  about 
seven  yards  square,  intended  for  the, Duchess  de  Bern's 
bed  chamber  ;  it  was  rolled  up  and  laid  upon  a  shelf, 
from  whence  six  men  were  called  to  take  it  down,  that 
I  might  see  it.  It  was  upwards  of  an  inch  thick,  and 
yielded  to  the  pressure  of  the  foot  like  newly  fallen  snow, 
but  recovered  from  the  pressure  the  moment  the  foot 
was  lifted.  Where  is  there  another  country  in  which 
such  pains  are  taken  to  gratify  the  stranger,  wrho  has  no 
other  claim  upon  them,  than  his  being  such  ?  It  is  nei 
ther  in  the  United  States,  nor  in  Great  Britain ;  and  all 
this  attention  and  trouble,  without  money,  and  without 
price. 

Six  or  seven  miles  from  Paris,  was  the  Seives  China 
manufactory.  There  the  display  of  this  article,  in  every 
variety  of  form,  was  immense.  There  were  dining1  plates 
from  one  franc,  to  one  hundred  each.  Cups  and  saucers, 
one  of  each,  one  hundred  francs,  and  from  that  down  to 
half  a  franc.  There  were  vases,  at  the  value  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  francs  ;  and  tables  made  entirely  of  porce 
lain,  at  twenty-eight  thousand ;  one  of  which  was  pre 
sented  by  Louis  the  Eighteenth,  to  George  the  Fourth 
of  England.  These  tables  were  circular,  and  three  feet 
in  diameter ;  on  the  tops  were  painted  and  burnt  in, 
beautiful  views  of  all  the  palaces  in  France.  This  fac- 


200  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

tory,  and  the  Persian  carpet,  were  both  the  property  of 
the  crown. 

Paris  had  numerous  fountains,  some  of  which  were  as 
beautiful  as  useful :  among  them,  one  which  answered 
the  double  purpose  of  a  fountain,  and  a  monument  to  the 
celebrated  Marshal  Desaix,  who  was  a  great  favorite 
with  Napoleon,  and  deservedly  so ;  for  he  was  every 
inch  a  soldier.  Twice  did  Napoleon  present  him  with  a 
complete  military  outfit,  which  Desaix  placed  little  value 
on,  and  soon  lost.  He  would  wrap  himself  in  his  cloak, 
and  with  a  gun  carriage  for  his  pillow,  sleep  so  sound 
that  his  own  artillery  would  scarcely  wake  him.  It  was 
he  who  saved  his  imperial  master  from  disgrace  and 
defeat  at  Marengo,  at  the  expense  of  his  own  life ;  for 
which  this  monumental  fountain  was  erected  to  his  me 
mory,  by  his  grateful  friend  and  sovereign. 

The  fountain  of  the  elephant  will  be  among  the  won 
ders  of  the  world,  when  completed.  In  fact,  it  was  so 
then,  as  the  model  in  plaster  was  the  same  size  the 
bronze  cast  will  be,  that  was  eighty-four  feet  in  height, 
including  the  castle  on  his  back.  In  the  near  fore  leg, 
was  to  be  a  stairway  leading  to  a  room  in  his  body,  of  a 
sufficient  size  to  seat  eighteen  persons  at  table.  From 
this  room  the  stairs  were  to  be  continued  to  the  top  of 
the  castle.  Beneath  the  floor  of  the  room  the  water  was 
to  flow,  and  be  delivered  at  his  mouth.  This  colossal 
undertaking  was  complete,  so  far  as  respected  the  model 
of  the  elephant,  and  the  marble  basin  in  which  he  wras  to 
stand,  of  a  circular  form,  and  nearly  eighty  feet  in  diame 
ter.  The  basin  was  just  being  completed  when  I  saw  it. 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  1201 

The  elephant  had  a  house  built  over  him,  and  was  the 
only  object  of  art  in  Paris,  that  could  not  be  seen  without 
a  permit.  The  location  of  this  fountain  is  in  the  imme 
diate  neighborhood,  or  on  the  very  spot  where  the  Bastile 
stood,  as  I  observed  near  it,  a  part  of  the  fosse  that  once 
surrounded  that  castle,  which  had  not  been  filled  up. 

The  conservatory  of  the  Arts  was  an  immense  build 
ing,  filled  with  one  of  the  most  valuable  museums  in 
Europe.  On  the  ground  floor,  the  first  objects  that  met 
my  view,  was  the  models  of  all  the  ploughs,  from  the 
days  of  the  patriarchs,  down  to  the  time  in  which  I  saw 
them.  Conspicuous  in  the  front  row,  were  Thomas'  and 
Freeborne's  American  patents ;  they  deserved  to  be 
there,  for  they  far  surpassed  all  others,  in  the  immense 
collection,  both  in  form  and  finish.  There  were  also 
every  kind  of  agricultural  implements  in  great  variety, 
together  with  a  vast  variety  of  mechanism  ;  among  them 
a  model  of  the  machine  of  Marley,  by  which  the  water 
of  the  Seine  was  forced  up  seven  hundred  feet,  through 
pipes  of  eight  or  nine  inches  diameter,  laying  on  the  sur 
face  of  the  ground.  It  was  there  received  into  a  reser 
voir,  from  whence,  by  an  aqueduct,  it  was  taken  to  Ver 
sailles,  for  the  use  of  the  water  works  in  the  splendid 
gardens  of  the  palace  at  that  place  ;  of  which  more  here 
after.  The  workmanship  as  well  as  the  mechanism  of 
this  machine,  which  was  of  brass  and  steel,  attracted  my 
particular  attention,  as  being  unsurpassed  in  finish  and 
beauty,  so  very  unlike  some  brass  locks  I  had  noticed 
a  day  or  two  before,  on  the  inner  doors  of  the  palace  of 
Condie,  which  would  have  got  a  boy  a  whipping,  who 


202  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

had  not  been  twelve  months  at  the  business,  in  Birming 
ham.  In  the  second  story,  on  a  table  some  two  or 
three  hundred  feet  in  length,  was  exhibited  the  models  of 
all  the  vessels  from  Noah's  Ark,  to  the  then  present  time ; 
or,  at  all  events,  from  a  Roman  galley  to  a  New  York 
packet  ship.  In  this  immense  collection  were  also  dis 
played  a  sample  of  every  kind  of  manufacture  carried 
on  in  France.  There  were  looms  with  webs  of  cloth  of 
gold,  of  silver,  of  steel,  and  of  brass ;  besides  numerous 
specimens  of  manufacture  in  wool,  cotton,  flax,  and  hemp. 
To  be  brief,  I  consider  this  collection  of  the  produc 
tions  of  the  mechanic  arts,  from  ancient  down  to  modern 
times,  as  incomparably  more  useful  than  all  the  others  I 
ever  saw. 

There  was  a  great  national  holiday,  the  anniversary 
of  St.  Louis,  if  my  memory  is  correct,  which  occurred 
while  I  was  in  Paris,  on  which  occasion  it  was  custo 
mary  to  have  temporary  buildings  erected  in  the  Elysium 
fields,  and  filled  with  bread,  sausages,  legs  of  mutton,  and 
skins  of  wine,  which  at  a  given  hour,  were  thrown  among 
the  populace,  who  were  assembled  by  tens  of  thousands, 
and  he  who  could  catch  the  most  was  the  best  fellow  ;  I 
saw  one  more  active  than  the  rest  catch  four  large  bun 
dles  of  sausages,  and  three  legs  of  mutton.  The  scene 
lasted  some  fifteen,  or  twenty  minutes,  and  was  decidedly 
the  most  laughable  I  ever  saw.  The  multitude  of 
spectators,  of  all  ranks,  was  immense ;  the  shops  were 
all  shut,  and  the  entire  population  seemed  to  have  turned 
out  to  witness  the  scene.  The  vast  concourse  appeared 
to  the  greatest  advantage  when  wending  their  way  home- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  203 

ward,  as  happy,  as  happy  could  bo ;  I  neither  saw  nor 
heard  of  any  disturbance  whatever,  nor  did  I  see  an 
intoxicated  person  during  my  continuance  in  Paris.  In 
the  walk  to  my  hotel,  I  fell  in  with  Baron  Fourcroix, 
whom  I  had  long  known  in  Charleston,  as  the  successor 
of  Mr.  Soult,  (brother  of  the  great  Marshal  of  that 
name,)  in  the  office  of  Con?nl  General  for  the  Southern 
States  ;  the  surprise  at  meeting  each  other  in  Paris,  was 
mutual  •  he  was  a  gentleman  of  great  urbanity  of  man 
ners,  and  when  I  was  engaged  in  editing  the  Charleston 
Gazette,  he  frequently  laid  me  under  obligation  by  fur 
nishing  me  with  the  latest,  and  most  correct  information 
from  France. 

Although  last,  not  least,  the  Palais  Royal  called  for 
my  attention.  It  was  the  world  in  miniature,  in  which 
was  to  be  found  almost  every  thing  desirable  and  useful 
to  man,  except  an  apothecary's  shop  ;  that  would  remind 
us  of  sickness,  and  mortality,  and  consequently  had  no 
place  within  its  walls.  This  vast  building  formed  a  hol 
low  square,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  a  beautiful  jet 
d'eau.  The  number  of  shops,  coffee  houses,  etc.,  con 
tained  in  it,  was  then  about  five  hundred.  It  was  the 
resort  of  all  ranks  and  conditions.  There  were  shops  in 
it  where  you  could  have  a  suit  of  clothes  made,  while 
you  sat  and  read  the  newspapers  !  Among  the  coffee 
houses,  was  one  called  the  Milk  Columne,  from  its  hav 
ing  rows  of  pillars  set  with  looking-glass,  which  multi 
plied  them  to  a  thousand.  This  room  was  of  great  size, 
and  while  you  drank  your  wine,  or  sipped  your  brandy 
and  water,  you  were  gratuitously  entertained  with  rope 


204  REMINISCENCES    OF    THE 

and  wire  dancing,  and  balancing,  by  the  best  masters  in 
Europe.  It  was  customary,  in  Paris,  to  have  the  hand 
somest  young  female  that  could  be  found,  to  sit  in  the 
bar,  and  receive  the  money  from  customers.  The  lady 
who  officiated  in  that  capacity,  at  the  Mille  Columns, 
was  extremely  beautiful,  and  that  her  seat  might  corres 
pond  with  her  beauty,  the  proprietor  had  purchased  in 
Naples,  at  an  expense  of  five  thousand  francs,  the  iden 
tical  throne  on  which  Murat  was  seated,  as  King  of  Na 
ples,  by  Napoleon.  Thus  seated,  she  received  not  only 
the  money,  but  the  homage  of  the  visitors  —  every  one 
who  entered  the  room,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest 
paying  her  the  most  profound  respect.  She  was  very 
affable,  and  conversed  well  in  English.  There  were  fre 
quently  from  one  to  two  hundred  persons  congregated  at 
this  coffee-house,  of  an  evening,  and  yet  there  was  as 
perfect  order  and  decorum,  as  in  any  private  drawing- 
room.  Here,  the  arts,  sciences,  literature,  and  politics, 
were  all  subjects  of  conversation.  I  could  not  help 
drawing  comparisons,  and  truth  compels  me  to  say,  that 
the  result  was  against  us.  Verree's  eating  rooms,  (I  know 
no  other  name  for  them,)  are  the  best  in  Paris.  His 
daily  bill  of  fare  is  larger  than  the  largest  newspaper  in 
the  city,  and  contains  every  luxury  that  Europe  affords, 
which  are  daily  served  at  his  tables.  It  was  common  for 
ladies  to  dine  there,  and  at  other  coffee  houses  in  Paris, 
with  their  husbands,  brothers,  or  friends.  The  French 
are  fond  of  society,  and  hence  it  is  that  many  of  those  in 
affluence,  or  easy  circumstances,  spend  a  large  part  of 
their  time  at  coffee  houses ;  not  in  dissipation,  but  in 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  205 

rational  conversation,"or  innocent  amusements  —  such  as 
dominoes,  drafts,  and  chess.  I  never  saw  a  pack  of  cards 
in  France ;  not  but  that  they  have  them.  There  are 
coffee-houses  expressly  for  each  of  those  games. 

During  my  stay  in  Paris,  I  made  frequent  excursions 
into  the  country.  The  palaces  in  its  environs,  were  so 
located,  that  it  was  the  mere  extension  of  your  ride,  on 
the  same  road,  to  visit  two  of  them  at  a  time.  My  first 
excursion  was  to  St.  Cloude  and  Versailles.  It  was  on 
Sunday,  and  the  water- works,  at  the  latter  place,  were 
to  be  exhibited ;  a  circumstance  which  had  not  occurred 
since  the  preceding  year.  We  left  Paris  at  nine  o'clock  •; 
the  day  was  fine ;  we  arrived  at  St.  Cloude  a  little  after 
ten.  The  prefect  of  the  palace  received  us,  and  as  com 
pany  continued  to  arrive  in  numbers,  (which,  with  the 
exception  of  a  friend  and  our  humble  self,  consisted  en 
tirely  of  English  nobility  and  gentry,)  he  kept  us  all  in 
conversation  until  eleven,  whea,  under  his  guidance,  we 
commenced  a  survey  of  the  palace,  where  we  saw  nothing 
very  remarkable,  until  we  entered  the  state  dining-room, 
when  our  conductor,  stepping  up  to  a  very  large  looking- 
glass,  that  was  apparently  set  in  the  wall,  touched  a 
spring,  when  the  glass  disappeared,  and  an  open  window 
appeared  in  its  place,  presenting  a  view,  through  a  long 
vista,  of  unsurpassed  beauty.  Having  sufficiently  feasted 
their  eyes  with  this  sight,  the  company  were  conducted 
up  stairs,  where  the  rooms  were  divided  into  suites  of 
four,  for  each  member  of  the  family. 

In  the  Queen's  bed-chamber,  a  door  was  pointed  out 
to  us,  which,  being  papered  of  the  same  color  of  the 

VOL.  I.  18 


206  REMINISCENCES     OF    THE 

room,  and  having  no  lock,  was  not  observable  ;  it  opened 
by  a  secret  spring.  It  was  through  this  door  that  Maria 
Antoinette  made  her  escape  from  those  demons,  the  Jaco 
bins,  that  came  from  Paris  to  seize  her.  She  had  barely 
time  to  shut  it  after  her,  when  they  entered  the  chamber, 
and  were  so  struck  with  beholding  their  own  hideousness 
reflected  in  the  large  mirrors  that  adorned  it,  that  it 
afforded  her  time  to  make  good  her  retreat.  The  com 
pany  leaving  finished  their  view  of  the  palace,  were  next 
conducted  to  view  the  grounds  about  it.  There  were 
artificial  cascades,  cut  in  the  rock,  which  made  bat  a  sorry 
appearance  without  water. 

The  whole  company  then  departed  for  Versailles  — 
the  road  was  literally  alive  with  equipages  and  Carriages 
of  every  description.      It  was  three  o'clock  when  we 
arrived.     The  first  thing  was  to  call  for  a  bill  of  fare,  and 
order  dinner ;  wrhile  that  was  preparing,  \ve  all  went  to 
the  pa]ace,  which,  as  a  royal  residence,  was  the  pride  of 
France,  and  glory  of  Louis  the  Fourteenth.     It  was,  in 
deed,  a  magnificent  building,  and,  take.i  in  connection  with 
the  objects  that  surrounded  it,  I  think  could  not  be  sur 
passed  in  Europe.     It  was  from  a  balcony,  in  the  Paris 
front  of  this  palace,  that  Maria  Antoinette  held  up  her 
son  to  tlie  view  of  a  Parisian  mob,  of  man}  thousands, 
in  the  vain  hope  of  appeasing  them.     They  had  come  all 
the  way  out,  (fourteen  miles,)  in  a  heavy  rain,  to  force 
the  royal  family  to  Paris,  and  to  Paris  they  were  compel 
led  to  go,  surrounded  by  the  very  dregs  of  creation,  some 
of  whom  even  mounted  on  the  top  of  the  royal  carriage, 
and  otherwise  treating  its  inmates  with  the  greatest  inso- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  207 

lence  and  ribaldry.  Ill-fated  family,  it  was  their  last 
journey.  This  palace  had  been  seldom  occupied,  from 
the  time  above  mentioned,  down  to  the  time  when  we 
were  there,  and  there  was  little  in  it  to  attract  attention, 
except  the  Royal  Chapel,  which  was  a  most  splendid 
apartment.  It  contained  a  theatre  also,  in  which  three 
thousand  persons  had  been  seated ;  but  no  use  had  been 
made  of  it  since  the  revolution. 

We  returned  to  our  hotel  at  four, and  dined  immediately, 
that  we  might  be  ready  for  the  water  works,  the  grand 
object  of  our  excursion.  I  was  early  seated,  immediately 
in  front  of  the  great  half  moon  basin,  in  which  all  the 
water  gods  and  nymphs,  with  Neptune  at  their  head, 
were  located  ;  at  a  given  signal,  a  cock  was  turned, 
when  they  all  commenced  throwing  water,  to  the  height 
of  eighty  feet,  which  fell  back  in  cascades  into  the  basin. 
It  was  a  most  beautiful  scene :  and  enlivened  by  the 
presence  of  forty  thousand  Parisians,  besides  the  inhabit 
ants  of  Versailles,  and  others  from  a  distance.  There 
were  other  basins,  in  the  tasteful  lawns,  on  a  smaller 
scale,  ornamented  with  statuary,  and  jets  cTeau,  which 
were  in  action  at  the  same  time  with  the  larger  one. 

Having  enjoyed  these  scenes  to  satiety,  we  next  visited 
the  Orangery,  where  were  some  hundreds  of  trees,  of 
from  four  to  eight  inches  in  diameter,  loaded  with  fruit, 
in  every  stage  of  advancement,  from  the  half  grown  to 
the  fully  ripe.  The  trees  were  all  in  large  tubs,  upon 
wheels,  that  they  might  readily  be  put  under  cover,  when 
necessary. 

It  w7as  now  near  sunset,  and  we  had  some  distance  to 


208  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

walk,  through  those  beautiful  grounds,  to  the  little  Tria 
non,  a  small  palace,  of  exquisite  design  and  workmanship, 
built  of  red  Carera  marble,  and  had  been  the  favorite 
place  of  resort  of  the  unfortunate  queen.  I  was  com 
pelled  to  be  satisfied  with  an  outward  view  of  it,  as  it 
was  too  late  to  go  in.  The  summer  house  in  the  garden 
of  this  palace,  if  it  could  speak,  and  was  put  to  the  ques 
tion,  would  tell  strange  stories. 

Evening  had  now  arrived,  and  we  set  out  on  our  return 
to  Paris.  As  we  approached  near  to  it,  we  came  to  the  gar 
den  of  Tivoli.  The  fireworks  had  just  commenced.  We 
halted  and  viewed  them  from  the  carriage.  The  French 
are  great  pyrotechnics.  I  visited  the  garden  a  few 
nights  after,  and  found  them  vastly  inferior  to  Vauxhall, 
near  London. 

My  next  excursion  was  up  the  bank  of  the  Seine,  to 
"  Mai  Maison"  and  from  thence  to  St.  Germain,  en 
Laye.  The  former  of  these  palaces  was  about  seven 
miles  from  Paris,  and  was  not  larger  than  an  elegant 
country  house,  for  a  family  of  a  dozen  or  twenty  persons, 
ought  to  be.  There  was  nothing  of  regal  state  about  it. 
The  grounds,  which  were  extensive,  were  laid  out  in  the 
English  style,  and  there  is  none  more  beautiful. 

This  was  a  favorite  residence  of  Napoleon,  and  still 
more  so  of  Josephine,  to  whom  he  gave  it.  No  portion 
of  the  then  royal  family  had  occupied  it  since  the  empe 
ror's  abdication,  and  in  those  rooms  in  which  he  spent 
most  of  his  time,  every  thing  had  been  permitted  to 
remain  just  as  he  left  them.  In  his  chamber,  his  camp  bed, 
for  instance,  and  in  the  library  room,  the  last  book  that 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  209 

he  had  read  in,  and  the  chair  on  which  he  sat,  all  remained 
as  he  left  them. 

I  took  the  liberty  of  seating  myself  in  the  chair,  and 
entering  into  conversation  with  my  conductor,  who  spoke 
English  fluently,  and  had  taken  me  for  English,  but  no 
sooner  was  he  informed  that  I  was  an  American,  than 
he  said,  "  /  have  something  to  show  you"  and  immediately 
unlocked  a  closet,  from  which  he  brought  to  me,  an  ivory 
statue  of  Napoleon,  about  a  foot  in  height,  and  wrought 
out  of  a  single  tusk.  He  was  represented  in  military 
costume,  with  the  well  known  little  cocked  hat  upon  his 
head.  The  workmanship  was  perfect,  and  so  was  the 
likeness,  as  my  attendant  informed  me,  and  I  had  no  rea 
son  to  doubt  it,  for  it  was  a  complete  fac  simile  of  others 
I  had  seen.  I  would  rather  possess  this  statue,  than  any 
other  I  saw  in  France,  not  excepting  the  Venus  de 
Medicis. 

I  observed  in  the  dining  room,  over  the  fire-place,  a 
copy  of  a  full  length  portrait  of  Jefferson  ;  it  was  one  of 
those  miserable  productions  of  Helmbold,  published  when 
he  (Mr.  Jefferson,)  was  President.  Having  satisfied  my 
curiosity  within  doors,  I  went  out  to  view  the  grounds. 

Many  of  my  readers  will  recollect  to  have  heard  the 
remark,  when  a  story,  apparently  incredible,  has  been 
told,  "  that  is  a  black  swan ;"  and  as  there  was  supposed 
to  be  no  such  bird  in  existence,  it  amounted  to  the  same 
thing  as  saying,  the  narrator  told  a  falsehood.  But  the 
fact  is,  there  are  black  swans,  for  I  saw  a  pair  them,  male 
and  female,  swimming  in  the  waters  which  formed  a  part 
of  that  beautiful  landscape.  I  spent  half  an  hour  in 

18* 


210  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

admiring  them,  as  they  swam  close  to  the  bank,  the  male 
some  twenty  feet  ahead  of  the  female,  of  whom  he  was 
jealous,  for  no  sooner  did  my  friend,  or  myself,  take  the 
least  notice  of  her,  than  he  began  to  murmur;  not  like 
"  a  swan  in  death,"  as  the  poet  sings,  but  like  one  in 
anger. 

I  stopped  to  look  at  the  water  works,  at  Marley,  and 
ascended  the  steep  on  which  the  pipes  were  laid  ;  the 
day  was  warm,  and  an  English  lady  who,  with  her  hus 
band,  had  joined  me,  was  unable  to  reach  the  top  of  the 
mount,  where  the  reservoir  and  aqueduct  were  to  be 
seen.  Having  satisfied  my  curiosity,  I  returned,  and 
drove  on  to  Saint  Germain  en  laye,  where  I  arrived  in 
time  for  dinner.  It  was  a  handsome  town  ;  the  principal 
street  was  very  wide,  and  well  built. 

While  dinner  was  preparing,  I  visited  the  large  old 
palace  —  the  favorite  residence  of  Henry  the  Fourth, 
whose  bed  room  was  about  twelve  feet  square,  and  rough 
plastered.  This  palace  had  long  ceased  to  be  a  royal 
residence,  and  was  then  used  for  a  military  school.  The 
terrace  was  said  to  be  the  finest  in  Europe.  The  grounds 
were  extensive  and  beautiful ;  I  took  a  drive  through 
them  after  dinner,  and  then  returned  to  Paris. 

A  day  or  two  after,  I  made  an  afternoon  excursion  to 
Boulogne  wood,  distant  some  three  or  four  miles  from 
towrn.  This  had  been  an  extensive  forest,  and  was  inter 
sected,  in  every  direction,  by  the  most  beautiful  rides  and 
walks,  but  had  been  shorn  of  much  of  its  beauty,  by  the 
allied  army  of  occupation,  who  had  destroyed  all  the 
trees  of  any  size  ;  there  was  a  fine  growth  then  coming 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  211 

up  in  their  stead,  with  trunks  of  from  three  to  six  inches 
in  diameter. 

Only  to  think  of  such  a  beautiful  spot  being  assigned 
to  an  army  of  northern  savages,  for  an  encampment ! 
Yes,  the  Cossacks  of  the  Volga  and  the  Don,  accustomed 
to  live  on  train  oil  and  brandy,  not  only  roamed  through 
and  destroyed  those  beautiful  groves  at  pleasure,  but 
paraded  the  streets,  and  promenades  of  Paris,  and  the 
saloons  of  its  palaces,  at  will  !  What  a  sight  for  the  most 
refined  and  polished  people  upon  earth  !  how  it  must 
have  rent  their  hearts  to  witness  it !  But,  they  were  a 
doomed  people,  and  the  virtue  contained  in  the  points  of 
two  hundred  thousand  foreign  bayonets,  operated  power 
fully  in  keeping  down  their  otherwise  rebellious  spirits. 

As  I  am  about  taking  my  leave  of  Paris,  some  general 
remarks  may  not  be  out  of  place.  That  which  struck 
me  most  forcibly,  on  my  first  view  of  this  great  capital, 
the  second  in  Europe  in  population,  and  the  first  in  arts, 
was  the  total  absence  of  every  appearance  of  foreign 
commerce.  The  Seine  was  a  dirty  puddle,  when  com 
pared  with  the  beautiful  stream  that  laves  the  shore  of 
the  "Queen  City  of  the  West;"  and  there  was  nothing 
to  be  seen  upon  its  surface,  but  flat  boats  and  coal  barges, 
laden  with  wood  and  charcoal  —  the  only  kind  of  fuel 
that  I  saw  in  Paris.  The  quantity  of  wood,  piled  up  in 
some  places  to  the  height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet,  was 
immense  ;  but  charcoal  was  the  only  fuel  1  saw  in  use, 
consequently  there  was  no  smoke,  and  the  view  of  the 
city  from  the  neighboring  heights,  with  its  domes,  pala 
ces,  and  spires,  was  as  distinct  and  clear,  as  an  unclouded 


212  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

sky,  and  a  pure  atmosphere,  could  make  it ;  whereas, 
London  is  enveloped  in  one  eternal  smoke. 

After  a  view  of  the  Seine,  and  the  non-appearance  of 
almost  any  thing  like  commerce,  the  mind  is  led  at 
once  to  inquire,  from  whence  comes  the  support  of  this 
vast  multitude  ?  Visit  their  halls  of  science,  of  arts,  of 
literature,  and  their  temples  of  learning,  and  of  amuse 
ment,  and  the  question  is  answered.  It  was  the  vast 
multitude  of  people  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and 
tongues,  that  congregate  there  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of 
the  one,  and  the  pleasures  of  the  other,  that  had  built  up, 
and  in  a  great  measure  supported  that  magnificent  city. 
To  illustrate  that  fact,  is  no  difficult  matter.  There  were 
forty  thousand  English,  Scotch,  and  Irish  alone,  in  Paris, 
at  one  time,  in  1819.  Put  down  their  daily  expenses  for 
one  year,  at  a  pound  sterling  per  head,  (which  would  be 
far  under  the  mark,)  and  you  have  the  enormous  amount 
of  fourteen  millions  six  hundred  thousand  pounds ;  add 
half  this  sum  for  all  other  nations,  and  you  have  twenty- 
one  millions,  nine  hundred  thousand  pounds  ;  equal  to 
ninety-four  millions,  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  at 
four  dollars  and  a  half  to  the  pound  sterling.  To  this 
sum,  add  ten  millions  of  dollars  spent  in  Paris,  by  the 
government,  and  the  total  will  be  one  hundred  and  four 
millions,  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Estimate  the 
inhabitants  at  eight  hundred  thousand,  and  it  gives  a  frac 
tion  over  one  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  per  head. 

I  now  take  my  final  leave  of  Paris,  hoping  that  those 
who  have  continued  with  me  to  the  end,  in  the  examina 
tion  of  its  principal  objects  of  attention,  will  not  leave  me 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  2]  3 

until  they  have  seen  me  safe  back  to  the  land  of  my 
nativity. 

FRANCE. PARIS    AND    ITS    ENVIRONS. 

The  two  following  letters  should  have  preceded  the 
commencement  of  my  tour  in  France,  but  were  mislaid. 
The  authors  of  them  are  Parisians,  and  thus  volunteered 
their  evidence  of  the  correctness  of  my  reminiscences  of 
their  native  land ;  too  gratifying  to  me,  and  too  impor 
tant  to  my  readers,  to  be  denied  a  place  in  the  work  of 
which  they  speak. 

Cincinnati,  November  7,  1838. 

Sir  —  Permit  me  to  express  to  you  the  pleasure  I 
have  felt  in  reading  your  "reminiscences"  of  France,  in 
the  Evening  Post  of  yesterday.  It  is  always  to  me  a 
source  of  gratification  to  read  the  remarks  of  an  intelli 
gent  American  traveller,  respecting  France.  The  people 
of  the  United  States  have  been  too  long  accustomed  to 
judge  of  the  French  character  through  the  prejudice  of 
the  English  —  prejudice  which  arose  from  the  jealousy 
and  dread  of  a  chivalrous  and  gallant  nation,  and  which, 
I  am  happy  to  say,  is  dying  away  in  England.  Ameri 
cans  can  understand  the  beautiful  points  in  the  French 
character,  and  judge  of  it  in  its  true  light. 

With  the  hope  that  you  will  continue  your  interesting 
reminiscences, 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 

Your  most  ob't  serv't, 
E.  S.  THOMAS,  ESQ.  C.  PARMANTIER. 


214  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

Cincinnati.  December  3,  1838. 

Dear  Sir — After  carefully  reading  your  interesting 
reminiscences,  I  cannot  restrain  myself  from  paying  you 
a  deserved  compliment. 

You  are  so  correct  in  your  description  of  the  places 
through  which  you  passed,  and  you  are  making  of  Paris, 
and  its  environs,  a  picture  so  new  and  so  true,  that  for  a 
moment,  I  fancied  myself  to  be  traversing  the  very  places 
of  my  young  and  happy  days.  By  every  European 
living  in  this  country,  these  reminiscences  will  always 
be  read  with  the  greatest  pleasure,  and  to  every  stranger 
who  has  not  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  seen  Labelle 
France,  they  will  afford  an  interesting  pastime,  and  a 
source  of  very  correct  instruction. 

I  am,  sir,  with  the  highest  consideration, 

Yours, 

E.  S.  THOMAS,  ESQ.  E.  LEVASSOR. 

The  latter  end  of  August,  it  was  the  20th,  I  qui'ted 
Paris,  having  hired  a  carriage  of  Mr.  Mcurine,  to  take 
me  down  to  Calais.  His  majesty,  Louis  the  Eighteenth, 
furnished  post  horses,  and  the  drivers  wore  the  royal 
livery,  blue  and  red.  As  I  entered  the  carriage,  Mr. 
Meurice  came  out,  and  handed  me  eight  open  letters,  to 
the  keepers  of  the  hotels  where  I  would  dine,  lodge, 
and  breakfast,  on  my  route,  observing,  "  as  you  do  not 
speak  our  language,  I  thought  these  might  be  of  use  to 
you,  as  you  will  find  the  English  language  spoken  in  all 
those  hotels."  He  then  observed,  "  1  have  lodgers  in  my 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     Y  3  A  II  S  .  215 

house,  who  have  been  here  these  three  years,  and  do  not 
know  half  as  niucli  of  Paris  as  you  do."     The  many  acts 
of  kindness  I  received  from  this  gentleman,  inde pendant 
of  nis  being  my  host,  endeared  him  to  me,  and  I  shall  ever 
remember  him  with  the  most  friendly  recollections.     As 
I  took  the  last  shake  of  his  hand,  my  postillion  came  out 
to  the   side  of  the  carriage,  which  was  <Jrawn  up  in  the 
court  yard ;  he  was  a  dapper  little  fellow,  rather  under 
the  middle  size,  and  dressed  in  his  blue  round-about,  with 
red  facings,  &c.,  and  blue  pants,  tied  dose  around  the 
ankle,  and  shoes,  with  a  glazed  hat,  whilst  he  had  a  pair 
of  jack  boots  hanging  over  his  shoulder,  that  could  not 
have  weighed  less  than  twelve  or  fifteen  pounds  !     I  had 
long  before  read  of  such  articles,  (I  think  Sterne   men 
tions  them  in  his  journey,)  but  I  had  no  idea  their  use  had 
descended  to  the  nineteenth  century,  and  had  I  been  going 
to  embark  from  France  for  the  United  States,  I  would 
certainly  have  procured  a   pair  of  them    to  present  to 
some  one  of  our  museums,  as  a  curiosity,  equal  to  at  least 
a  large  majority  of  those  exhibited  in  them.     With   no 
small  exertion,  he  raised  his  feet  high  enough  to  enter  the 
tops  of  them;  no  exertion  whatever  was  necessary  to 
reach  the  bottom ;  this  being  accomplished,  an  ostler^  of 
Herculean  form,  caught  him  up,  jack  boots  and  all,  and 
placed  him  in  his  seat ;  he  cracked  his  whip,  and  I  was 
off.     I  passed  through  St.  Dennis,  and  arrived  at  Chan- 
tilly  about  one  o'clock,  where,  having  ordered  dinner,  I 
took  a  guide  to  the  palace  of  the  Prince  of  Con  Je  ;  on  my 
way  I  passed  through  an  extensive  fruit  garden,  where 
the  ground  was  almost  covered  with  the  fallen  fruit,  such 


216  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

as  apricots,  nectarines,  plums,  pears,  &c.  I  picked  up 
some  of  them,  when  my  guide  told  me  to  gather  them 
from  the  trees,  as  they  were  fresh  and  better ;  I  did  so.. 

During  the  first  revolution,  the  Jacobin  mob  came  out 
all  the  way  from  Paris,  to  this  place,  some  sixteen  or 
eighteen  miles,  to  destroy  the  palaces,  of  which  there  were 
two,  one  of  them,  on  an  island,  in  an  artificial  lake ;  this 
was  destroyed,  as  was  also  one  of  the  most  splendid 
ranges  of  stables  in  Europe,  containing  stalls  for  one 
hundred  and  twenty  horses ;  they  had  been  rebuilt,  and 
one  half  of  them  just  finished  and  occupied,  when  I  saw 
them.  In  their  outward  appearance,  they  were  much 
more  like  a  palace  than  stables. 

The  steward  of  the  household  received  me,  and  very 
civilly  informed  me  that  I  had  arrived  very  oppor 
tunely,  as  the  prince,  and  his  family,  had  just  gone  out  to 
ride,  and  he  could  show  me  through  every  apartment. 
He  took  me  through  the  bed-chambers,  which  had  evi 
dently  been  very  recently  occupied,  as  the  beds  had  not 
been  made  since.  There  was  nothing  worthy  particular 
notice  until  I  arrived  at  the  picture  gallery ;  a  room 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length  —  the  walls  of 
which  were  covered  with  paintings,  nearly  all  of  them 
representations  of  the  battles  fought  by  his  great  ances 
tor,  "  the  Prince  of  Conde."  The  paintings  were  gener 
ally  large  :  and  there  was  one  among  them,  representing 
a  most  interesting  event,  in  the  life  of  that  great  comman 
der.  It  was  an  occasion,  when  the  tide  of  battle  was 
turning  against  him,  he  made  a  desparate  charge  at  the 
head  of  his  troops,  which  brought  him  so  nigh  the  enemy, 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  217 

that  he  threw  his  martial's  staff  among  them,  and  then 
called  upon  his  men  to  go  and  recover  it.  They  did  — 
and  won  the  victory.  The  scene  represented  is  the 
moment  when  he  threw  his  staff.  I  enquired  how  those 
fine  paintings  had  been  preserved  from  the  devastations 
of  the  mob  ?  The  answer  was,  they  had  been  packed 
up  and  buried  soon  after  the  revolution  commenced,  and 
had  not  been  restored  to  their  places,  until  a  few  months 
before  my  visit.  After  partaking  of  some  refreshments, 
I  took  a  short  walk  to  look  at  a  wild  boar,  (the  only  one 
I  ever  saw,)  that  was  confined  in  an  enclosure,  of  an 
acre,  or  more.  He  was  very  savage  ;  so  much  so  that 
my  conductor  cautioned  me  against  leaving  the  door  of 
the  stable,  from  whence  I  viewed  him  at  a  distance  of 
about  two  hundred  feet.  He  was  soon  to  be  turned  out 
into  the  neighboring  forest,  to  be  hunted  by  the  prince, 
and  his  court.  This  forest,  and  the  eruption  of  the 
wild  boasts  from  it,  into  the  town  of  Chantilly,  has 
already  been  noticed. 

I  returned  to  my  hotel,  and  having  dined,  continued 
my  journey.  The  country  through  which  I  passed  was 
slightly  rolling,  and  highly  cultivated.  The  time  I  had 
spent  at  the  palace,  compelled  me  to  travel  after  dark,  to 
reach  my  appointed  place  of  stopping  for  the  night,  and 
my  way,  for  several  miles,  immediately  before  arriving 
at  the  town,  lay  through  a  forest.  This  circumstance 
gave  me  no  uneasiness  whatever,  although  a  similar  one 
would  in  England.  The  night  was  very  dark,  and  I 
had  got  some  distance  into  the  forest,  when  my  curiosity 
was  excited  by  a  noise  like  a  horse  in  a  slow  canter  — 

VOL.  I.  19 


218  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

sometimes  it  came  from  behind,  sometimes  from  the  front, 
and  sometimes  from  the  side  of  the  carriage,  which  was 
entirely  closed.  I  drew  the  curtain  and  let  down  the 
sash,  and  behold !  there  was  a  gen  cTarme,  completely 
equipped,  escorting  me  through  the  forest.  Having 
reached  its  termination,  he  wheeled  round,  put  spurs  to 
his  horse,  and  went  off  at  full  gallop ;  in  a  few  minutes, 
I  was  at  my  hotel,  when,  upon  enquiring,  I  was  informed 
this  was  their  nightly  business.  As  I  intended  to  go  to 
Amiens  to  breakfast,  I  started  in  the  grey  of  the  mor 
ning,  when  there  was  a  dense  fog,  which  prevented  my 
seeing  objects  at  any  distance.  The  carriage  stopped  ; 
looking  out  to  enquire  the  cause,  I  discovered  a  proces 
sion  passing  immediately  in  front  of  me,  with  the  Host. 
My  companion,  and  myself,  uncovered  and  sat  quietly 
until  they  had  passed  ;  before  the  revolution,  I  should 
have  been  compelled  to  alight  and  kneel  during  its  pas 
sage. 

Having  arrived  at  Amiens,  I  stopped  at  the  house 
where  Napoleon  signed  the  celebrated  treaty  of  peace, 
which  bears  its  name.  This  took  place  on  the  first  day 
of  October,  eighteen  hundred  and  one.  The  country 
was  in  a  very  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  I  stopped 
several  times  to  view  their  implements  of  husbandry.— 
All  the  ploughs  I  saw  were  of  the  curricle  kind,  with 
wooden  mould  boards,  sheathed  with  sheet  iron.  I  was 
not  a  little  surprised  at  this,  after  having  just  seen  such  a 
variety,  and  of  such  superior  pattern,  and  finish,  in  the 
Conservatory  of  arts.  The  harrows  were  all  similar  — 
wooden  teeth,  some  shod  with  iron.  Their  agriculture,, 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  219 

through  the  lapse  of  ages,  had  acquired  a  great  decree  of 
perfection,  while  their  implements,  notwithstanding  they 
had  the  best  possible  models  for  their  guides,  advanced  in 
improvement  very  slowly.  They  ploughed  very  shal 
low,  not  to  exceed  four  inches,  in  any  instance  that  came 
under  my  observation.  There  wrere  no  vineyards  on 
this  road,  a  large  portion  of  the  district  through  which  I 
passed,  was  in  red  clover  and  lucerne.  Most  of  the  farms 
were  used  for  grazing,  and  it  was  new  to  me,  to  see  girls 
of  thirteen  or  fourteen,  tending  four  or  five  head  of  cattle, 
each  of  them  having  a  cord  round  their  horns,  united 
to  another  which  she  held  in  her  hand.  I  noticed  the 
great  proportion  of  women  that  worked  in  the  field ;  a 
sight  I  was  not  prepared  to  expect  in  France,  and  when 
I  spoke  of  it,  they  urged  with  some  plausibility,  as  a  rea 
son,  the  great  destruction  of  men  in  the  wars  of  Napole 
on.  But  I  have  reason  to  apprehend,  that  the  practice 
had  a  much  deeper  root  than  that.  The  softer  sex  should 
not  be  degraded  by  such  labor,  not  even  among  the  poor 
er  classes,  in  any  country,  and  least  of  all  did  I  expect  to 
find  it  among  the  boasted  chivalry  and  refinement  of 
modern  France. 

The  next  place  I  shall  speak  of,  is  the  city  of  Cambray, 
celebrated  as  the  residence  of  the  Archbishop  Fenelon, 
the  great  author  of  Telemachus,  and  also  for  a  treaty 
made  by  Napoleon.  It  was  a  handsome  town.  I  arrived 
about  one  o'clock,  and  staid  there  until  the  next  morn 
ing —  occupying  the  parlor,  bed-room,  and  bed,  once 
occupied  by  Napoleon.  Others  may  think  as  they  please 
of  it,  but  I  was  gratified  by  so  doing.  The  house  was 


220  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

kept  by  a  widow  lady,  the  sister  of  Meurice,  from  whom 
I  brought  her  a  letter,  which  secured  me  every  attention 
that  kindness  could  bestow.  I  was  not  a  little  gratified, 
on  looking  over  the  register,  to  find  a  number  of  names 
of  Americans,  who  were  old  acquaintances,  among  whom 
were  Major  John  J.  Bulow,  and  lady,  of  South  Carolina. 
They  had  passed  that  way  to  Paris,  about  a  fortnight 
before,  and  it  was  my  misfortune  not  to  have  met  with 
them. 

I  left  the  next  morning  for  Calais,  noticing  large  fields 
of  mangle  wurtzel,  and  but  little  ruta  baga,  or  Swedish 
turnip.  In  the  afternoon,  I  passed  through  the  upper 
town  of  Boulogne,  where  the  walls  were  forty  feet  high, 
and  as  many  thick.  This  place  will  long  live  in  the  me 
mory  of  the  English.  It  was  here  Napoleon  congrega 
ted  an  immense  army  and  flotilla,  for  the  purpose  of  inva 
ding  that  kingdom.  Nelson  was  sent  to  destroy  the  lat 
ter,  but  a  few  days  before  the  treaty  of  Amiens,  and  I 
believe,  for  the  first  and  only  time  in  his  life,  suffered  a 
severe  defeat,  about  which  as  little  was  said  in  London, 
as  possible.  I  was  there  at  the  time,  and  witnessed  their 
heart-burnings  on  the  occasion.  I  next  came  to  the  out 
posts  of  Calais,  between  two  and  three  miles  from  the 
town.  It  being  a  time  of  peace,  they  were  passed  with 
out  ceremony  ;  and  the  next  thing  that  drew  my  observa 
tion,  was  passing  under  the  covered  way  into  Calais, 
which  having  done,  I  supposed  myself  in  the  town,  but 
was  mistaken ;  as  there  were  yet  two  more  to  pass 
through,  before  I  arrived  in  the  town.  I  drove  to  Meu- 
rice's,  the  brother  of  him  with  whom  I  stayed  in  Paris, 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  221 

and  having  delivered  my  carringe,  and  paid  the  price 
agreed  upon  in  Paris,  for  its  hire,  of  which  he  was  advis 
ed  by  a  letter  I  brought  him,  I  sat  down  to  an  elegant 
dinner  —  my  last  in  France  —  the  pleasure  of  which  was 
completely  marred  by  the  continued  intrusion  of  the  run 
ners  for  the  packets,  that  plied  between  Calais  and  Dover. 
They  were  a  perfect  nuisance.  Three,  and  four,  would 
besiege  me  at  a  time,  each  lauding  his  packet,  and  his 
captain,  to  the  skies,  at  the  expense  of  all  the  rest,  and 
would  not  take  no,  for  an  answer.  To  get  rid  of  them, 
I  took  a  walk  about  the  town.  The  only  thing  I  saw  in 
my  walk,  worthy  of  particular  notice,  was  a  monument 
to  the  patriot  Pierre,  and  his  noble  followers,  who,  with 
halters  round  their  necks,  offered  up  their  lives  for  their 
city. 

The  next  morning,  the  first  of  September,  I  took  leave 
of  my  host,  and  went  to  the  packet.  On  my  way,  I  met 
a  gentleman,  who  had  just  stepped  on  shore  from  Eng 
land,  on  his  way  to  Paris.  It  was  the  late  William 
Aiken,  Esq.,  of  South  Carolina,  whom  I  had  known  from 
his  boyhood.  Our  meeting  was  pleasant,  although  it 
was  only  to  shake  hands,  and  part  again.  The  meeting 
with  an  old  acquaintance  in  a  foreign  country,  under 
such  circumstances,  excites  feelings  that  can  only  be 
appreciated  by  those  who  have  been  similarly  situated. 

Mr.  Aiken  died  several  years  ago,  in  the  midst  of  his 
usefulness.  His  death  created  a  void  not  easily  filled 
up ;  for  he  had  long  ranked  among  the  most  enterprising 
and  useful  of  Carolina's  sons. 


19* 


222  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

I  stepped  on  board  the  packet,  and  in  three  hours  was 
at  Dover.  There  were  no  steam  packets  then.  I  visited 
the  heights  and  the  castle,  and  seating  myself  on  "  Queen 
Ann's  pocket  piece,"  (a  long  brass  gun,  about  which  more 
stories  have  been  told  than  are  true,)  I  had  a  fine  view 
of  the  country  on  the  English  side ;  France  was  still 
visible  in  the  distance. 

Next  morning  I  started  for  London.     The  road  was 
quite  familiar  to  me,  having  often  travelled  it  before. 
My  route  lay  through  Kent,  one  of  the  finest  counties  in 
England,  and  long  celebrated  for  the  quantity  of  hops 
that  it  produces :  from  some  cause  or  other,  however, 
there  was  not  more  than  half  the  ground  cultivated  in 
them,  that  I  had  been  accustomed  to  see.     The  fields  of 
ruta  baga  were  very  numerous  and  extensive,  the  quan 
tity  was  immense,  and  a  more  luxuriant  crop  could  not 
be  desired.     What  I  was  a  little  surprised  at,  they  were 
all  sown  broadcast.     The  curricle  plough  was  almost 
exclusively  used  in  Kent,  where  every  implement  of 
husbandry  was  of  the  best  construction,  and  kept  in  per 
fect  order, —  no  better  farming  any  where.     I  arrived  in 
London  before  night,  and  took  up  my  quarters  at  the 
Carolina  Coffee  House. 


LONDON. 


September,  2.  —  The  city,  at  this  time,  was  in  one  con 
tinued  state  of  excitement,  on  the  subject  of  the  Queen's 
trial ;  there  was  a  cordon  of  forty  thousand  men  drawn 
around  it,  within  a  distance  of  fourteen,  or  eighteen  miles ; 


LAST    SIXTY-FIVE    YEARS.  223 

while  in  front  of  the  House  of  Lords,  in  which  the  trial 
was  progressing,  the  artillery  was  drawn  up,  with  lighted 
matches,   and   the   Yeomanry  Cavalry  sat  upon  their 
horses,  with  swords  drawn.     The  Queen  had  removed 
to  Hammersmith,  on  the  bank  of  the  Thames,  about  six 
or  seven  miles  from  London,  to  which  place  processions 
of  all  classes  were  daily  going,  to  present  their  respects 
to  her   majesty,  and  assure  her  of  their  kind  feelings 
towards  her,  and  their  sympathy  in  her  behalf.     On  one 
occasion,  five  processions  went  to  Hammersmith  in  one 
day  —  one  of  which  consisted  entirely  of  seamen,  to  the 
number  of  upwards  of  five  thousand  men,  marching  in 
perfect  order,  with  music  and  marshals.     Others  in  car 
riages,  of  which  there  were  about  fifty  elegant  landeaus, 
all  alike,  of  straw  color,  each  drawn  by  four  horses,  with 
postillions  dressed  in  scarlet  and  bufF,  with  velvet  jockey 
caps,  buckskin  and  boots.     They  formed  a  very  hand 
some  procession,   and   being  in  daily  use,   I   presume, 
were  kept  for  that  purpose.     Others,  again,  consisted  of 
private  carriages  and  hackney  coaches.     Thus  the  great 
thoroughfare,  through  the  city,  and  the  road  to  Hammer 
smith,  was  daily  crowded  with  them. 

While  this  excitement  continued,  which  was  as  long  as 
the  trial  lasted,  his  majesty  kept  snug  at  the  cottage  in 
Windsor  Forest,  not  choosing  to  risk  his  royal  person  in 
town.  After  the  arrival  of  the  imported  witnesses  from 
Italy,  the  excitement  increased  daily.  It  was  then  the 
all-absorbing  theme.  Messrs.  Brougham,  Denman,  and 
Doctor  Lushington,  were  her  majesty's  counsel.  The 
two  former  have  long  since  been  elevated  to  the  house 


224  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

of  peers.  Men  more  fearless  in  the  cause  of  a  client, 
never  stood  up  in  a  court  of  justice. 

The  royal  brothers  were  constantly  in  their  seats,  and 
the  conduct  of  one  of  them,  particularly,  was  conspicuous 
for  a  marked  hostility  to  her  majesty.  It  was  the  then 
Duke  of  Clarence,  (late  William  the  Fourth,)  who  elicited 
from  Mr.  Brougham  a  most  tremendous  phillippic  against 
his  royal  highness.  The  words  have  escaped  me,  but 
nothing  was  ever  more  severe,  or  more  personal.  That 
he  should  afterwards,  when  he  came  to  the  throne,  ele 
vate  one  who  had  so  berated  him,  to  the  wool-sack,  was  to 
me  a  matter  of  surprise,  and  gave  me  a  much  more  favor 
able  idea  of  the  character  of  the  sailor  king,  than  I  had 
ever  entertained  before. 

Among  the  Italian  witnesses  against  the  Queen,  was  a 
fellow  by  the  name  of  Majocci,  whose  testimony,  if  it 
could  have  been  believed,  would  have  made  her  out  the 
most  infamous,  among  the  daughters  of  infamy ;  but  when 
the  villain  was  cross-examined,  it  became  self-evident 
that  he  was  perjured.  To  every  question  put  to  him  by 
her  counsel,  with  a  view  to  elicit  the  truth,  he  made  but 
one  answer,  "  non  my  recordo"  I  do  not  remember. 
After  his  examination  had  terminated,  the  court  adjourn 
ed  ;  it  was  early  in  the  evening,  and  in  less  than  an  hour, 
the  whole  day's  proceedings  were  being  hawked  through 
the  streets.  The  excitement  was  very  great.  I  took  a 
walk  through  St.  James'  and  New  Bond  streets,  during 
which  I  met  with  at  least  a  dozen  of  those  vociferous 
news-men,  vending  their  papers  with  a  rapidity  which 
showed  the  interest  that  was  taken  in  their  contents.  In 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  225 

the  streets  ;  at  the  coffee  houses,  and  wherever  men  met ; 
there  was  one  almost  universal  expression  of  abhorrence 
for  the  villain  Majocci,  who,  with  his  companions,  was 
compelled  to  keep  close,  in  the  quarters  provided  for 
them,  near  the  house  of  lords. 

There  was  a  book  and  print  seller,  on  Ludgate  Hill, 
by  the  name  of  Hone  ;  he  was  a  great  friend  of  the  queen, 
and  kept  up  a  continued  issuing  of  caricatures  and 
pamphlets,  the  object  of  all  which  was  to  turn  the  king 
into  ridicule  and  contempt,  in  which  they  succeeded,  to  a 
great  extent.  I  became  personally,  and  intimately  ac 
quainted  with  Mr.  Hone,  who  was  an  accomplished  gen 
tleman  in  his  manners,  of  a  ready  wit  and  fine  talents. 
When  I  was  about  leaving  London,  on  my  return  home, 
I  purchased  a  collection  of  all  those  pamphlets  and  prints, 
of  which  I  have  now  bat  one  left,  and  that  is  a  very 
laughable  one. 

Great  fears  were  entertained,  at  the  time  the  Ital 
ian  witnesses  were  the  most  obnoxious,  that  there  would 
be  an  insurrection  among  the  people,  and  as  a  listener 
and  looker  on,  I  thought  so  too ;  but  a  circumstance 
occurred,  which  satisfied  many,  besides  myself,  that  there 
was  nothing  to  be  apprehended  on  that  score.  It  was  this : 
the  troops  composing  the  cordon,  interchanged  places 
weekly,  that  they  might  not  become  too  intimate  with 
the  citizens,  and  consequently  be  the  more  ready  to  do 
their  master's  bidding,  if  ordered  to  fire  upon  them.  In 
carrying  out  this  plan,  a  regiment  that  was  quartered  in 
Islington,  were  ordered  found  to  High-gate  ;  it  was  just 
at  sunrise  when  they  started,  and  they  were  not  in  per- 


226  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

feet  close  order  ;  but  the  people  turned  out  in  great  num 
bers  to  see  them,  as  they  passed  through  the  turnpike- 
gate,  and  some  of  them,  the  people,  huzzaed  for  the 
queen,  while  the  soldiers  vociferated  with  all  their 
strength  for  the  king ;  they  had  passed  on  out  of  sight, 
when  eight  or  ten  stragglers  came  up  and  huzzaed  for  the 
king,  the  gate  keeper  immediately  did  the  same  for  the 
queen,  when  one  of  the  soldiers  struck  him  a  blow  on  the 
wrist,  with  the  butt  end  of  his  musket,  which  lamed  him 
severely,  and  although  there  were  twenty  to  one  against 
the  soldiers  present,  not  a  soul  of  them  offered  to  take 
the  gate  keeper's  part ! 

An  account  of  this  circumstance  was  published  in  the 
evening  papers,  and  caused  much  excitement  in  the  cof 
fee-houses  throughout  the  city.  A  large  portion  of  the 
people  did  not  believe  the  story,  supposing  that  the  people 
would  have  punished  the  soldiers  severely  on  the  spot. 
I  listened  to  their  remarks  upon  the  subject,  without  pre 
suming  to  interfere  in  a  business  which  did  not  concern 
me ;  but,  at  the  same  time  determined  to  ascertain  the 
facts,  for  my  own  satisfaction.  The  widow  of  my  old 
friend,  Mr.  Hood,  (mentioned  in  a  former  part  of  these 
reminiscences.)  lived  at  Islington.  I  took  a  hack  to  go 
and  take  leave  of  her,  and  when  I  got  to  the  turnpike 
gate,  without  pretending  to  have  heard  any  thing  about 
the  matter,  I  questioned  the  gate  keeper,  as  to  what  was 
the  matter  with  his  arm,  which  was  in  a  sling?  He 
answered,  by  relating  the  whole  story,  precisely  as  I  had 
read  it. 

That  was  enough  ;  I  wanted  no  further,  no  better  evi- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  227 

dence,  that  all  the  excitement  and  parade  I  had  witnessed, 
was  not  for  the  love  they  bore  the  queen,  but  for  the  hate 
they  bore  the  king.  A  single  regiment  of  dragoons 
would  have  driven  fifty  thousand  of  them  into  the 
Thames,  leaving  the  five  thousand  sailors  out  of  the 
question. 

The  next  evening  I  went  to  the  theatre.  The  play 
was  Othello.  KEENE  played  the  part,  and  the  house 
was  full.  When  it  came  to  the  scene  where  lago  tells 
his  wife,  that  Desdemona  was  false  to  her  husband,  arid 
she  repels  the  base  assertion  with  indignation  and  spirit, 
such  an  uproar  commenced,  as  I  never  saw  before  nor 
since,  in  a  theatre.  For  ten  minutes,  it  was  doubtful 
which  would  gain  the  ascendancy,  the  king's  friends,  who 
hissed  the  noble  conduct  of  Emila,  in  the  defence  of  her 
injured  mistress,  or  the  queen's  who  applauded.  It  ter 
minated  in  a  drawn  battle.  Those  and  similar  circum 
stances  satisfied  me,  that  nothing  serious  was  to  be 
apprehended  from  an  excitement  which  long  had,  and 
still  continued  to  exist. 

Thursday,  September  [3th.  —  Left  London  for  Mr. 
Coke's,  (now  Earl  of  Leicester.)  in  Norfolk,  to  whom  I 
had  letters,  as  also,  from  my  Liverpool  friends,  to  Mr. 
Taylor,  of  Ditchingham,  near  Bungay,  Suffolk,  and  Mr. 
Rathbone,  jr.  My  road  lay  through  Essex,  a  fine  county 
in  general,  soil  good,  and  cultivation  excellent ;  the  har 
vest  was  all  in,  except  the  beans.  Passed  through  Lord 
Erskine's  estate  ;  the  principal  produce  was  young  birch, 
the  twigs  of  which  were  cut  annually,  to  make  into 
brooms,  to  sweep  ship's  decks,  and  other  purposes,  one 


228  REMINISCENCES      OF     THE 

of  which  might  afford  a  very  unpleasant  reminiscence  to 
a  school  boy.     I  arrived  at  Bungay,  ninety-five  miles, 
about  dusk,  after  a  very  pleasant  day's  journey.     The 
next  morning,  after  breakfast,  I  walked  across  the  folds 
to  Ditchingham,  about  two  miles ;  found  Mr.  Taylor  at 
home,  who,  after  reading  my  letters,  gave  me  a  hearty 
English  welcome.     This  gentleman  was  one  of  the  best 
agriculturalists,  and  agricultural  writers,  then  in  England. 
Mrs.  Taylor  was  an  amiabie  domestic  woman.     They 
lived  in  good,  but  plain  style.     When  I  arrived,  he  was 
busy  in  his  barn-yard,  overlooking  his  people,  who  were 
engaged  in  attending  a  portable  threshing  machine,  of 
three  horse  power,  and  cost  two  hundred  and  seventy 
dollars,  wrhich  threshed  one  hundred  and  sixty  bushels  per 
day,  with  four  men  to  attend  to  it.     Mr.  Taylor  had,  at 
the  instance  of  Mr.  Coke,  with  whom  he  was  on  the  most 
friendly  terms,  made  an  experiment  with  ten  acres  of 
wheat,  on  alternate  ridges,  of  dibbled  and  drilled.     As  my 
readers  may  not  all  understand  what  is  meant  by  dibbled 
wheat,  I  will  tell  them.     Instead  of  bei'ig  deposited  in 
a  drill,  by  the  machine,  it  is  put  in  by  children  with  their 
fingers,  putting  a  few  grains  at  short  distances,  and  cov 
ering  it  at  the  same  time.     The  object  was,  to  ascertain 
the  difference,  if  any,  in  the  quantity  produced  per  acre, 
in  order,  if  it  yielded  enough  more  to  pay  the  difference 
in  expense,  to  give  employment  to  poor  children.     No 
experiment  was  ever  more  fairly  tested ;  and  the  result 
was,  five  acres  of  the  drilled,  yielded  two  hundred  and 
six  bushels,  while  the  five  acres  of  dibbled,  yielded  forty- 
five  bushels  and  a  half  to  the  acre,  (average  crop  twenty- 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  229 

five  bushels,)  or  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  bushels, 
off  the  five  acres !  Ten  and  a  half  bushels  of  wheat 
were  dibbled  upon  them,  and  the  total  expense,  exclusive 
of  manure,  was  twenty  pounds  sterling.  Thus  the  result 
proved  satisfactory ;  and  Mr.  Taylor  wrote  me,  after 
my  return  to  London,  that  he  had  dibbled  twenty  acres, 
and  drilled  twenty,  for  the  next  year's  crop.  Talavera 
wheat  produces  good  crops  in  Suffolk,  when  sown  .in 
November.  They  sowed  all  their  wheat  in  drills,  upon 
ridges,  of  about  nine  feet  wide,  with  dead  furrows  be 
tween,  in  which  the  horse  walked,  to  hoe  it,  which  was 
done  with  one  bout  of  Blakeley's  horse  hoe  to  the  ridge, 
going  up  one  side,  and  down  the  other.  This  instru 
ment  effectually  loosened  the  earth,  and  cut  up  all  the 
weeds  between  the  rows.  Potatoes  planted  in  drills, 
twenty-eight  inches  apart,  arid  manured  in  the  drill,  pro 
duced  an  average  crop  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  bushels 
to  the  acre. 

Mr.  Taylor  called  my  attention  to  a  large  pear  tree, 
which  was  completely  girdled,  and  was  full  of  fruit,  —  it 
never  produced  before  !  Lucerne,  sowed  broad  cast, 
forty  pounds  to  the  acre,  and  yielded  abundantly.  The 
rent  of  land  in  this  county,  (Suffolk,)  was  from  twenty  to 
forty  shillings  per  acre.  Wages  of  men,  twenty  pence ; 
of  women,  eight  pence ;  and  boys,  four  pence,  to  one 
shilling  and  four  pence,  per  day,  and  found  themselves  ! 
Mr.  Taylor  had  three  hundred  and  sixteen  acres,  and 
paid  nineteen  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  rent  per 
annum.  The  only  kind  of  plough  then  in  use,  in  that 
county,  had  but  one  handle. 

VOL.  I.  20 


230  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

Mr.  Taylor  took  me  out  to  ride  every  day,  to  view  the 
neighboring  country.  Among  others,  we  called  on  R. 
C.  Harvey,  Esq.,  who  had  a  farm  of  seven  hundred  acres, 
was  feeding  one  hundred  aud  thirty  bullocks  upon  tur 
nips,  and  fifteen  hundred  sheep ;  had  a  dairy  of  thirty 
cows ;  fed  three  hundred  hogs,  and  kept  between  sixty 
and  seventy  horses.  He  had  several  mills,  the  ofFai  of 
which  was  given  to  the  stock. 

Monday,  September  18.  —  Went  with  Mr.  Taylor  to 
visit  —        —  Paul,  Esq.,  at  Starson  Hull,  near  Harleston, 
Suffolk.     I  found   him  an  accomplished  gentleman,  and 
experienced  agriculturalist,  both  in  theory  and  practice. 
He  was  a  gentleman  of  much  ingenuity,  which  was  ex 
hibited  in  a  number  of  useful  inventions,  among  them  a 
Ratiery,  in  which  he  had  caught  many  hundred  of  those 
animals,  that  had  been  so  very  destructive  to  his  stack 
yards.     There  were  the  skins  of  some  hundreds  of  them, 
nailed  against  the  front  of  his  barn,  in  terrorum.     He 
had  also  invented  a  mode  of  catching  the  turnip  fly,  which 
had  been  very  destructive  to  the  crops  in  that  neighbor 
hood  ;  he  used  it  with  great  effect.     Mr.  Rathbone,  jur., 
was  living  with  Mr.  Paul,  to  learn  practical  agriculture, 
fur  which  he  paid  nine  hundred  dollrr-  per  annum,  and 
had  to  work  about  three  hours  per  day.     He  had  the 
privilege  of  keeping  a  horse,  for  his  ovn  use.     Many 
young  gentlemen  gave  as  high  as  fourteen   and  fifteen 
hundred  dollars,  to  learn  this  most  useful  of  all  profes 
sions.     W!iat  a  highly  favored  people  we  Americans  are, 
in  being  all  born  farmers  —  at  least,  one  would  suppose 
so ;  for  no  sooner  dues  a  mechanic,  or  store-keeper,  get 


LAST      STXTY-PIVE      YEARS.  231 

a  little  up  in  the  world,  than  he  immediately  purchases  a 
farm,  and  retires  to  the  country ;  where,  having  spent 
his  means  in  useless  and  foolish  experiments,  he  returns 
to  town,  to  get  that  bread,  by  his  profession,  which  he 
did  not  know  how  to  raise. 

Judging  from  the  great  number  of  churches  in  Suffolk, 
in  proportion  to  the  population,  I  presumed  that  it  had 
been  more  densely  populated  in  the  olden  time.  There 
was  one  living,  of  seven  hundred  a  year,  pointed  out  to  me, 
which  was  paid  by  only  seventeen  land-holders.  Mr. 
Taylor  informed  me,  that  his  tythes,  in  kind,  would 
amount  to  two  hundred  a  year,  but  he  compounded  for 
seventy  guineas.  He  was  a  Unitarian,  and  never  entered 
the  church,  nor  any  of  his  family. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  19 Took  leave  of  Mr.  Taylor's  fam 
ily.  He  accompanied  me  into  town,  (Bungay,)  and  we 
both  dined  with  Mr.  Childs,  where  we  met  a  large  party, 
assembled  for  the  occasion.  The  entertainment  was  a 
very  handsome  one.  Mr.  Childs  was  a  great  stereotype 
printer,  and  had  seventeen  presses  employed  in  that  line 
of  business.  I  took  leave  of  my  Bungay  friends  the  next 
morning,  among  whom  was  a  Mr.  Edwards,  an  eminent 
engraver,  who,  at  parting,  presented  me  with  a  large  roll 
of  engravings,  a  number  of  which  now  adorn  my  parlor. 

At  ten  o'clcck,  started  in  the  coach  for  Norwich;  I 
was  alone,  and  very  unwell,  having  partaken  too  freely  of 
the  choice  viands  with  which  my  friend  Child's  table  wrs 
loaded  the  day  before.  I  arrived  at  Norwich  about  one 
o'clock,  and  having  taken  a  slight  refreshment,  took  a 
guide  to  view  the  town.  I  had  a  letter  to  his  honor,  Mr. 


232  REMINISCENCES    OF    THE 

Taylor,  the  mayor,  but  did  not  deliver  it.  The  object 
that  principally  excited  my  attention,  was  the  splendid 
ruin  of  the  ancient  cathedral.  This  town  had  greatly 
fallen  from  its  ancient  grandeur,  and  at  four  I  took  leave 
of  it,  and  continued  my  journey  to  Wells,  on  the  sea 
coast,  where  I  arrived  about  eight,  not  having  added  any 
thing  to  my  stock  of  agricultural  information  by  this  day's 
ride. 

Next  morning,  September  20,  took  a  post  chaise  to 
Holkham  Hall,  about  three  miles  ;  —  the  handsome  seat 
of  Mr.  Coke.  The  house  was  built  of  brick,  of  a  dirty 
yellow  color,  and  was  four  hundred  feet  in  length.  In 
the  first  week  of  July,  annually,  this  gentleman  gave  a 
three  day's  entertainment,  called  "  the  sheep  shearing.19 
On  those  occasions,  there  generally  sat  down  six  or  seven 
hundred  to  dinner,  the  first  day ;  four  or  five  hundred, 
the  second ;  and  three  or  four  hundred,  the  third.  The 
diplomatic  corps,  his  royal  highness,  the  Duke  of  Sussex, 
and  a  large  number  of  the  nobility  and  gentry,  from  dif 
ferent  parts  of  the  kingdom,  with  strangers  from  abroad, 
made  up  the  company.  There  was  an  extensive  gallery 
of  statuary  and  paintings,  and  so  great  was  the  curiosity 
of  strangers,  to  visit  the  mansion  of  the  first  farmer  in 
Europe,  that  there  was  a  printed  volume  of  two  hundred 
pages,  printed  in  small  duodecimo,  entitled, "  The  Stran 
ger's  Guide  to  Holkham"  In  passing  over  the  estate,  I 
noticed  a  herd  of  cattle,  all  of  the  large,  broad  horn  breed, 
also,  a  field  of  fifty  acres  of  ruta  baga,  and  another  of  the 
same  number  of  Mangel  Wurtzel ;  they  were  by  far  the 
largest  and  finest  fields  of  those  vegetables  I  ever  saw, 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  233 

and  the  estate  altogether,  in  the  best  possible  state  of 
improvement. 

I  left  Holkham  and  went  to  Fakenham,  fourteen  miles. 
This  place  is  rendered  famous  in  an  amusing  poetical 
tale,  by  Bloomfield,  called  "  The  Fakenham  Ghost."  It 
•was  market  day,  and  there  was  a  handsome  display  of 
cattle  and  sheep,  with  a  great  many  fine  samples  of  wheat. 
I  introduced  myself  to  a  number  of  farmers,  told  them 
the  object  of  my  journey,  and  received  from  them  every 
attention,  with  several  samples  of  very  fine  wheat. 

I  left  there  the  next  morning,  and  went  by  New  Mar 
ket  and  Cambridge,  to  London,  where  I  took  possession 
of  my  old  quarters,  at  the  Carolina  Coffee-house.  The 
queen's  trial  was  still  progressing,  but  the  feverish  excite 
ment  had  greatly  abated.  I  found  my  orders  had  been 
executed,  as  far  as  possible,  by  Messrs.  Beck  and  Allen, 
for  seeds  ;  and  by  my  other  agents  for  books  upon,  and 
implements  of  agriculture,  all  of  which  were  shipped 
direct  for  Baltimore. 

I  took  passage  in  the  ship  London,  packet,  Captain 
Thomas,  for  New  York ;  and  having  arrived  in  the 
Downs  on  a  Saturday  afternoon,  the  wind  being  ahead, 
we  came  to  anchor,  off  Deal ;  Captain  Thomas  was  about 
discharging  his  pilot,  and  asked  my  opinion.  I  had  been 
there  several  times  before,  and  advised  him  by  no  means 
to  do  it.  He  took  my  advice,  and  saved  his  ship,  cargo, 
crew  and  passengers  by  it. 

A  gentleman  belonging  to  Salem,  Massachusetts,  Cap 
tain  Bryan,  and  myself,  went  on  shore,  and  put  up  at 

the  "  Three  Kings."     All  the  other  passengers  remained 

20* 


234  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

on  board  ;  among  whom  was  Mr.  Niblo,  of  New  York, 
since  celebrated  for  his  pleasure  gardens,  then  keeper  of 
the  Bank  Coffee  house,  in  that  city. 

A  tremendous  gale  came  on  in  the  night,  and  the  next 
morning,  (Sunday,)  when  I  arose,  exhibited  one  of  the 
most  awful  scenes  of  distress  ever  exhibited  in  the  Downs. 
I  heard  it  in  the  night,  my  bed-room  being  directly  over 
the  water,  and  had  my  forebodings  of  the  consequences. 
I  went  into  the  street  in  the  morning,  and  the  first  man  I 
saw,  was  the  waterman  who  brought  me  on  shore,  the 
preceding  afternoon.  Said  he,  sir,  your  ship  is  gone,  but 
she  is  safe  in  Ramsgate  pier.  Had  she  landed  her  pilot 
the  night  before,  she  would  inevitably  have  been  lost,  as 
many  others  were.  She  cut  and  run,  leaving  her  best 
bower  anchor  and  cable  behind  her.  Where  I  stood,  in 
the  street,  the  sea  broke,  passed  over  my  head,  and  the 
spray  fell  upob  the  roofs  of  the  houses  on  the  other  side. 

Twenty  or  thirty  sail  of  vessels  had  left  in  the  course 
of  the  morning,  and  all  run  for  Ramsgate  pier ;  those 
which  had  pilots  on  board  got  safe  in,  the  others,  some  ten 
or  a  dozen  sail,  were  lost,  and  every  soul  on  board  per 
ished.  There  were  still  fifteen  sail  left  at  anchor  and 
without  pilots,  with  signals  of  distress  in  their  shrouds. 
It  w;as  a  most  distressing  sight.  I  was  then  in  the  habit 
of  stump-speaking,  and  had  a  tolerable  reputation  for  it. 
I  mounted  the  bow  of  a  boat,  in  the  presence  of  some 
two  or  three  hundred  watermen,  and  inspired  by  the 
scene  in  view,  I  addressed  them,  admitted  the  risk  they 
would  run  in  attempting  to  put  pilots  on  board,  and  told 
them  it  was  the  common  lot  of  all  to  die,  and  they  never 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  235 

could  die  in  a  better  cause.  I  began  to  despair  of  suc 
cess,  when  a  noble  hearted  tar  stepped  out  from  the 
crowd,  and  said,  "  Sir,  I  will  go  for  one.'"  In  seamen's 
phrase,  the  ice  was  broke,  in  two  minutes  there  were  ten 
of  them.  The  boats  were  deep  waisted,  and  all  drawn 
up  on  the  strand.  I  went,  with  many  others,  to  the 
water's  edge,  and  shook  the  noble  hearted  fellows  by  the 
hand,  as  they  launched  their  boat  and  stepped  on  board. 
The  sea  was  then  breaking  twenty  feet  over  our  heads. 
The  great  danger  was  in  getting  outside  the  breakers. 
They  pushed  off;  it  was  an  anxious  moment — the 
bystanders  held  their  breath.  We  lost  sight  of  them  in 
the  first,  second,  and  third  break  of  the  water  over  them  ; 
but  the  peal  of  gladness  ascended  to  Heaven,  when  we 
saw  them  safe  beyond  them.  They  went  as  near  the 
vessels  as  was  safe  to  venture,  ropes  were  thrown  to 
them,  and  having  made  them  fast  under  their  arms,  they 
jumped  into  the  sea  and  were  drawn  on  board.  In  this 
way  nine  vessels  were  supplied  with  pilots,  leaving  but 
one  man  in  the  boat,  who  got  safe  back  to  shore.  I  then 
took  a  post-chase  with  Captain  Bryan,  and  went  to 
Ramsgate,  distant  six,  or  eight,  miles.  We  went  down 
the  pier  where  seventeen  dead  bodies  had  already  been 
drawn  up.  Of  a  large  Hamburg  ship  there  were  not  ten 
feet  in  breadth  of  her  bottom  remaining ;  of  others,  there 
was  not  a  stick  to  be  seen.  The  gale  had  then  subsided, 
but  the  wind  was  directly  ahead,  and  so  continued  for  a 
fortnight,  during  which  time  the  pier  was  full.  It  was 
near  the  last  of  October,  and  the  weather  was  gener 
ally  pleasant.  I  walked  about  the  neighborhood,  and 


236  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

spent  a  day  at  Margate.     The  wind  still  continued  con 
trary. 

At  length  the  wished- for  change  came,  and  in  an  hour, 
or  two,  a  hundred  and  thirty  sail  spread  their  canvass  to 
the  breeze.  It  was  a  beautiful  sight.  We  had  very 
rough  weather.  After  arriving  within  three  days'  sail  of 
our  port,  we  were  blown  off  to  the  latitude  of  Bermuda, 
drifting  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind  and  waves  for  nine 
days,  without  taking  our  helm  out  of  the  beckets.  At 
length  the  wind  favored  us,  and  we  were  once  more 
within  two  or  three  days'  sail  of  our  port,  and  were 
again  blown  off  to  the  South.  At  last,  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  day,  of  December,  we  arrived  in  New-York,  about 
eighty  days  from  the  time  we  left  London,  and  the  next 
day  I  started  for  Baltimore. 

When  I  got  home,  I  found  my  goods  had  got  there 
several  weeks  before  me,  in  good  order.  I  had  upwards 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  kinds  of  field  and  garden  seeds, 
more  than  fifty  of  which,  were  new  in  the  United  States  ; 
also,  hay  makers,  that  with  one  man  and  a  horse  made 
hay  as  fast  as  ten  men  cut  it ;  broadcast  sowing  machines  ; 
Northumberland  drills,  and  a  number  of  other  imple 
ments  not  recollected,  with  five  hundred  volumes  of 
large  and  valuable  books  upon  agriculture,  containing  all 
the  different  reports  of  counties,  made  to  the  board  of 
agriculture.  Having  disposed  of  as  many  of  the  seeds 
as  I  could  in  a  year,  I  gave  the  balance,  some  two  thou 
sand  dollars  worth,  to  the  Colonization  Society,  and 
received  from  Mr.  Gurley,  the  agent,  a  letter  of  acknowl 
edgement  ;  since  which  I  have  heard  nothing  about  them, 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  237 

in  that  I  have  been  disappointed,  as  I  knew  some  of  the 
colonists,  and  thought  such  a  present  was  at  least  worth 
an  acknowledgment  on  their  part. 


JOHN  GAILLARD,   OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


This  excellent  man,  and  distinguished  legislator  and 
statesman,  was  suffered  to  sink  into  the  grave  so  little 
noticed,  that  I  do  not  know  even  when  he  died ;  but  I 
did  know  the  man  through  a  long  period  of  years,  and 
was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  his  public  services,  and 
private  worth.  This  gentleman  rilled  the  presidential 
chair  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  pro  tern.,  for 
ten  years,  and  on  one,  or  more  occasions,  in  the  absence 
of  the  vice  president,  from  sickness,  he  occupied  the 
chair  through  the  whole  session,  and  was  admitted  to  be 
the  best  presiding  officer  that  ever  sat  in  it.  No  man 
was  ever  elected  to  it  more  than  twice,  before,  or  since, 
if  my  memory  is  correct  upon  the  subject. 

Mr.  Gaillard  possessed,  in  an  eminent  degree,  the 
happy  talent  of  expressing  himself  in  the  most  clear  and 
perspicuous  manner,  and  with  a  purity  of  language  that 
is  seldom  equalled ;  as  the  letter,  which  follows  these 
remarks,  abundantly  proves. 

As  a  man  of  business  and  tact,  he  had  few  superiors; 
and  there  was  a  purity  of  intention,  self-evident  in  all  his 


238  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

acts,  which  showed  him  to  be  a  man  who  regarded  the 
means  by  which  the  end  was  to  be  obtained  —  a  circum 
stance  which  is  not  always  attended  to  by  statesmen, 
many  of  whom  are  very  apt  to  consider  the  end  as  justi 
fying  the  means;  and  although  it  is  a  favorite  principle 
of  the  Florentine  school,  I  think  it  is  better  known  in  the 
breach,  than  in  the  observance. 

His  temper  was  mild ;  his  friendship  warm  ;  his  man 
ners  agreeable,  and  pleasing  in  the  extreme.  The  great 
Lowndes  held  him  in  the  highest  estimation,  both  as  a 
public  and  a  private  man:  I  want  no  better  evidence  of 
his  worth  in  either.  They  were  devoted  to  each  other, 
and  messed  together  at  Washington.  Few  men  were 
more  beloved,  none  more  respected.  The  purity  of  his 
political  principles  corresponded  with  that  of  his  private 
life.  In  fact,  he  was  a  man  of  whom  it  may  be  emphati 
cally  said,  that 

"  All  the  ends  he  aimed  at,  were  his  country's, 
His  God's,  and  Truth's." 

LETTER  FROM  THE  HON.  JOHN  GAILLARD  —  WITHOUT  DATE. 

It  was  written  about  the  time  of  the  departure  of  Mr. 
Clay  and  Mr.  Russell  for  Ghent,  as  will  be  seen  by  its 
contents. 

Dear  Sir  —  I  received  with  much  pleasure  your  favor 
of  the  10th,  to  which  I  would  have  replied  at  an  earlier 
period,  had  I  not  been  prevented  from  doing  so  by  vari 
ous  circumstances.  The  irregularity  of  the  mail  is  un- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  239 

questionably  a  cause  of  serious  and  just  complaint,  and 
should  be  remedied  as  speedily  as  possible ;  and  more 
especially,  now  that  the  communication  by  water  is  cut 
off.  Representations  have  been  repeatedly  made  on  this 
subject,  and  it  is  hoped  that  measures  will  be  taken  by 
the  proper  department,  to  correct  the  evil.  I  have  not 
had  the  slightest  intimation  of  an  intention,  on  the  part 
of  government,  to  remove  the  present  incumbent ;  but 
should  such  an  event  take  place,  I  shall  not  fail  to  hold 
in  remembrance  your  wishes,  as  well  as  the  useful  and 
patriotic  services  you  have  rendered  to  your  country.* 
Mr.  Bradley  has  been  appointed  president  of  one  of 
the  banks  in  Georgetown  ;  but,  if  I  am  correctly  informed, 
he  still  holds  the  appointment  in  the  post  office  depart 
ment. 

The  recent  proposal  of  the  government  of  Great 
Britain,  for  instituting  negotiations  for  peace,  has  been 
accepted  with  promptitude  by  our  executive,  and  in  a 
manner  clearly  indicating  that  no  unnecessary  obstacle 
will  be  presented,  on  his  part,  to  prevent,  or  delay  the 
attainment  of  so  desirable  an  object.  Mr.  Clay  will 
probably  leave  this  city  to-morrow  for  New  York,  where 
he  will  be  joined  by  Mr.  Russell,  and  from  which  place 
they  may  be  expected  to  sail  in  about  ten  days  for  Got- 

*  This  alludes  to  a  large  number  of  my  friends,  who  had,  unknown 
tome,  in  the  first  instance,  applied  to  their  friends  in  congress  to  pro 
mote  my  appointment  to  the  office  of  Postmaster  General,  in  cast;  Mr. 
Granger  was  removed;  which  he  was,  soon  after,  and  the  President 
nominated  his  connection,  Mr.  Return  J.  Meigs,  the  same  day,  who  was 
appoinvd  without  opposition,  as  none  knew  of  the  vacancy  until  a  new 
nomination  was  made  and  acted  upon. 


240  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

tenburg.  It  seems  to  be  understood  that  the  appointment 
of  Mr.  Adams  is  complimentary,  and  that  the  negotia 
tions  will  be  conducted  by  Messrs.  Bayard,  Clay,  and 
Russell.  The  speculations  as  to  their  result  are  various : 
some  making  calculations  amounting  almost  to  certainty 
that  they  will  eventuate  in  peace ;  while  others,  less 
sanguine,  can  see  nothing  in  the  present  state  of  Europe, 
or  in  the  manner  in  which  the  war  has  been  conducted 
on  our  part,  to  justify  the  opinion  that  the  British  gov 
ernment  will  be  willing  to  treat  on  such  terms  as  will 
be  honorable,  or  acceptable,  to  us :  —  elated  by  the  success 
of  its  allies,  and  the  recent  occurrences  in  Canada,  it  will 
hardly  be  ready  to  yield  the  points  we  are  at  war  about. 

The  basis  on  w:hich  the  British  minister  proposes  to 
negotiate,  to  wit,  "  upon  principles  not  inconsistent  with 
the  maritime  rights  of  the  British  Empire,"  does  not  pro 
mise  a  favorable  issue,  unless  a  more  limited  interpreta 
tion  be  given  to  the  extent  of  those  rights,  than  any 
heretofore  contended  for.  On  this  point,  you  are  enabled 
to  judge  as  correctly  as  we  can,  possessing,  as  you  do, 
all  the  information  which  we  have  on  the  subject, 

But,  terminate  the  negotiations  as  they  may,  I  am 
happy  to  state,  that  the  commencement  and  progress  of 
them  will  not  lull  us  into  a  state  of  inactivity  ;  as  a  deter 
mination  prevails  to  make  the  most  efficiert  preparations 
for  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war,  from  a  just  and 
well-founded  conviction,  that  the  most  effectual  means  to 
procure  peace,  is,  to  show  your  enemy  that  you  possess 
the  disposition,  as  well  as  the  ability,  to  assert  and  main 
tain  your  rights. 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  241 

With  this  object  in  view,  an  act  has  just  passed,  giving 
a  bounty  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  dollars  to  every 
able  bodied  man  who  will  enlist  for  five  years,  or  during 
the  war  —  fifty  dollars  to  be  paid  to  the  recruit  when 
enlisted,  fifty  dollars  when  he  shall  be  mustered,  and  the 
remaining  twenty-four  dollars  on  the  termination  of  the 
war.  This  bounty  may,  by  some,  be  considered  as 
enormous ;  but  the  demand  for  labor  is  so  high,  that  it 
is  believed  nothing  short  of  what  is  offered  will  prevail. 
The  fact  also  is,  that  the  deficiency  in  the  rank  and  file 
of  the  army  is  such  as  to  demand  a  prompt  remedy ;  and 
circumstanced  as  we  are,  to  hesitate  about  incurring  this 
additional  expense,  great  as  it  may  be,  would  be,  in  my 
judgment,  to  practise  a  mistaken  economy,  and  to  with 
hold  what  might  vitally  affect  the  best  interests  of  the 
nation.  I  confess  that,  with  even  these  means,  I  am 
apprehensive  that  we  shall  not  get  an  adequate  force 
sufficiently  early  in  the  field ;  but,  although  the  war  has 
not  been  conducted  well,  I  do  not  despair  of  the  republic, 
provided  we  profit  by  our  errors,  and  make  a  judicious 
selection  of  officers  to  direct  the  operations  of  our  army. 

The  exertions  which  the  British  are  making  to  obtain 
a  naval  ascendancy  on  Lake  Ontario,  and  the  start  they 
have  of  us,  cannot  but  excite  alarm  as  to  what  may  hap 
pen  in  that  quarter,  where  we  have  so  much  at  stake, 
and  on  the  issue  of  which  success  must  so  materially 
depend.  Commodore  Chauncey  will  have  an  arduous 
time  and  much  to  struggle  against ;  but  all  that  man  can 
do,  I  expect  from  him,  as  he  is  unquestionably  an  officer 
of  the  first  merit. 

VOL.  i.  21 


242  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

Our  government,  from  motives  of  humanity,  has  been 
averse  to  the  employment  of  the  Indians.  This  was  cor 
rect,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  in  order  to  give 
them  an  opportunity  of  enjoying  the  advantages  resulting 
from  neutrality.  But  surely,  the  humanity  which  would 
any  longer  spare  the  enemy,  and  leave  our  defenceless 
women  and  children  exposed  to  the  tomahawk  and  scalp 
ing  knife,  would  be  highly  criminal.  Under  this  state  of 
things,  we  should  measure  out  to  the  British  as  they 
measure  out  to  us  ;  and  this,  it  is  said,  General  Harrison  is 
authorized  to  do,  by  employing  the  Indians  to  act  against 
them. 

The  practice  of  congressional  nomination,  to  which 
you  have  alluded,  has  taken  too  deep  a  root,  to  be  now 
shaken,  and  will,  I  apprehend,  continue  to  be  the  manner 
of  appointing  to  the  presidential  chair.  I  have  never 
attended  a  caucus,  from  a  conviction  that  it  was  an  usur 
pation  of  power  on  the  part  of  the  members  of  congress ; 
and  that  although  it  was  adopted,  in  the  first  instance, 
from  good  motives,  its  inevitable  tendency  would  be  to 
produce  intrigue,  and  the  adoption  of  improper  and  un 
worthy  means  to  procure  a  nomination. 

The  possession  of  your  good  opinion  is  highly  flatter 
ing  to  me,  and  I  feel  truly  grateful  for  the  expression  of 
your  friendly  feelings  towards  me,  which  I  assure  you  I 
reciprocate  with  great  sincerity.  All  I  can  boast  of,  is, 
purity  of  intention  ;  and  I  trust  that  no  selfish  considera 
tion,  or  improper  motive,  will  ever  influence  my  conduct. 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  243 

I  shall  hope  to  hear  from  you  whenever  convenient  to 
you  to  write,  and  I  shall  continue  to  do  so  with  freedom. 

I  am,  dear  Sir, 
Yours,  with  great  regard  and  esteem, 

E.  S.  THOMAS,  ESQ.  JOHN  GAILLARD. 


JOHN  HANCOCK, 

PRESIDENT   OF   THE   FIRST   CONGRESS   OP   THE   UNITED   STATES. 

\Vrittcn  July,  1836. 

The  memory  of  this  great  patriot,  statesman,  and  ora 
tor,  has  been  most  grossly  neglected.  While  hundreds, 
whose  services  in  the  cause  of  Independence  were  not  a 
tythe  of  his,  have  been  eulogized  to  the  skies,  and  live  on 
canvas  and  in  marble,  this  great  patriot's  name  but  sel 
dom  finds  a  place,  even  when  celebrating  that  freedom 
he  was  among  the  very  first,  if  not  the  first,  to  risk  his 
life  in  obtaining.  I  have,  for  years,  noticed  this  neglect, 
with  feelings  of  unfeigned  regret. 

Never  was  a  man  more  beloved  by  any  people,  than 
Hancock  was  by  the  people  of  Massachusetts.  With 
the  exception  of  a  single  year,  when  Bowdoin  was  put 
in,  he  was,  for  sixteen  successive  years,  elected  their  gov 
ernor,  and  closed  his  patriotic  and  illustrious  life  in  that 
high  station.  Hundreds  of  times  have  I  seen  him,  when 
so  worn  out,  and  crippled  by  disease,  that  he  could  not 
stand,  taken  from  his  carriage  into  the  arms  of  two  faith 
ful  servants,  (who  regularly  attended  for  the  purpose,) 


244  REMINISCENCES    OF    THE 

and  carried  up  to  the  council  chamber,  a  distance  of  nearly 
fifty  yards  from  the  street.  The  last  time  he  addressed 
his  fellow  citizens,  was  the  most  impressive  scene  I  ever 
witnessed.  A  town  meeting  was  called,  upon  a  question 
of  great  excitement.  Old  Faneuil  Hall  could  not  contain 
the  people,  and  an  adjournment  took  place  to  the  old 
South  Meeting-house.  Hancock  was  brought  in,  and 
carried  up  into  the  front  gallery,  where  the  Hon.  Benja 
min  Austin  supported  him  on  the  right,  and  the  celebra 
ted  Dr.  Charles  Jarvis  upon  the  left,  while  he  addressed 
the  multitude.  The  governor  commenced,  by  stating  to 
his  fellow  citizens,  that  "  he  felt"  it  was  the  last  time  he 
should  ever  address  them  —  that  "  the  seeds  of  mortality 
were  growing  fast  within  him"  The  fall  of  a  pin  might 
have  been  heard,  such  a  death-like  silence  pervaded  the 
listening  crowd,  during  the  whole  of  his  animated  and 
soul  stirring  speech,  while  tears  ran  down  the  cheeks  of 
thousands. 

The  meeting  ended,  he  was  conveyed  to  his  carriage, 
and  taken  home,  but  never  again  appeared  in  public  — 
his  death  followed  soon  after.  The  corpse  was  embow- 
elled,  and  kept  for  eight  days,  to  give  an  opportunity  to 
the  citizens,  from  the  most  distant  parts  of  the  State,  to 
render  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to  his  memory.  They 
came  by  thousands,  and  tens  of  thousands  —  the  proces 
sion  was  an  hour  and  a  half  in  passing.  The  post  of 
honor,  among  the  military,  was  given  to  the  Concord 
Light  Infantry,  under  Captain  Davis,  the  same  who  com 
manded  them  on  the  ever  memorable  nineteenth  of  April, 
'75.  It  was  the  most  solemn,  and  interesting,  and  incom- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  245 

parably  the  longest,  funeral  procession  I  ever  saw. — 
Samuel  Adams,  who  was  lieutenant  governor,  became 
governor,  ex  officio,  by  the  death  of  Hancock,  and  fol 
lowed  the  bier,  (there  were  no  hearses,  with  nodding 
plumes,  in  those  days,)  as  chief  mourner,  but  the  venera 
ble  patriot  could  not  endure  the  fatigue,  and  was  com 
pelled  to  retire  from  the  procession. 

Hancock,  as  an  orator,  had  no  equal.  He  seized  upon 
the  passions  of  his  hearers,  and  led  them  captive  at  his 
pleasure ;  none  could  resist.  A  gentleman  who  heard 
him  deliver  his  great  oration,  commemorative  of  the  mas 
sacre  of  the  fifth  of  March,  seventeen  hundred  and  sev 
enty  ;  told  me  that  the  multitude  who  listened  to  it,  were 
wrought  up  to  such  a  pitch  of  phrenzy,  that  a  single  sen 
tence  from  the  orator,  calling  upon  them  to  take  arms, 

and  drive  the  murderers  from  their  town,  would  have 

« 

been  at  once  carried  into  effect.  Such  was  his  control 
over  them,  many  could  not  keep  their  seats,  from  indig 
nation.  I  read  this  oration  in  my  youth ;  it  abounds 

11  In  thoughts  that  breathe, 
And  words  that  burn." 

It  made  my  young  blood  run  coursing  through  my  veins, 
and  the  hair  on  my  head  to  stand  erect,  as  I  read  it.  I 
said  to  myself,  with  the  old  Roman,  "  if  such  is  the  effect 
from  reading,  what  would  it  have  been  to  have  heard 
him  deliver  it  ?"  His  form  was  elegant ;  his  face  beau 
tiful,  manly,  and  expressive  ;  his  eye  piercing  ;  his  voice 
flexible.  He  could  raise  his  hearers,  to  the  highest  pitch 
of  phrenzy,  or  soothe  them  into  tears,  at  pleasure. 


246  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

It  was  THIS  ORATION  which  first  prepared  the  minds 
of  men  to  resist  the  oppression  of  the  British  government. 
From  the  day  it  was  delivered,  it  was  the  determination 
of  thousands,  that  at  the  first  opportunity  afforded  them, 
they  would  burst  the  bands  that  bound  them,  and  abide 
the  consequences.  Four  years  after,  the  opportunity 
was  presented,  at  Lexington,  and  our  nation's  independ 
ence  was  the  result. 

Hancock,  before  the  Revolution,  was  a  man  of  vast 
fortune ;  and  although  he  permitted  it  to  flow,  in  the 
cause  of  his  country,  like  water,  he  had  still  enough  left 
to  support  a  splendid  establishment,  and  lived  and  enter 
tained  like  a  prince.  His  generosity  was  unbounded.  I 
well  remember  that  one  evening  in  each  week,  during 
summer,  a  full  band  of  music,  at  his  own  expense,  attend 
ed  in  front  of  his  venerable  stone  mansion,  at  the  head 
of  the  common,  to  entertain  the  citizens  who  were  pro 
menading  on  the  mall.  He  seldom  left  Boston  to  visit 
at  any  distance,  but  wrhen  he  did,  he  was  always  escorted 
by  a  volunteer  troop  of  cavalry,  who  held  themselves  in 
readiness  for  that  purpose.  He  was  very  fond  of  joke 
and  repartee,  so  much  so,  that  a  worthy  citizen  of  Boston, 
Nathaniel  Balch,  Esq.,  a  hatter,  who  never  failed  to  ap 
pear  among  the  invited  guests  at  his  hospitable  board, 
obtained  the  unenvied  appellation  of  "  the  Governor's  Jes 
ter"  The  celebrated  Brissot,  in  his  travels  in  the  Uni 
ted  States,  speaks  of  his  meeting  this  gentleman  at  Han 
cock's  table ;  and  such  was  the  mutual  attachment  be 
tween  the  governor  and  Mr.  Balch,  that  if  the  former 
was  called  away,  no  matter  what  distance,  'Squire  Balch 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  247 

attended  him,  like  his  shadow,  which  the  following  cir 
cumstance  most  happily  illustrates.  Governor  Hancock 
was  called  on  to  visit  the  then  province  of  Maine,  on 
which  occasion  he  travelled  in  state,  and  was  attended 
by  the  Hon.  Col.  One,  one  of  the  Executive  council,  and 
Nathaniel  Balch,  Esq.  Their  arrival  at  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire,  was  thus  humorously  announced :  — 
"  On  Thursday  last,  arrived  in  this  town,  Nathaniel 
Balch,  Esq.,  accompanied  by  his  Excellency,  John  Han 
cock,  and  the  Hon.  Azor  Orne,  Esq." 

These  events  of  by-gone  days,  have  been  brought  to 
my  recollection  by  the  following  short  paragraph,  from 
the  New  York  Evening  Star  : 

VALUABLE  RELIC.  —  We  have  had  left  with  us,  at 
our  office,  for  inspection,  the  principal  commission,  ap 
pointing  John  Hancock  first  Major  General  of  the  Mas 
sachusetts  colony.  It  is  dated  May  30,  1 776. 


THE  ISLE  OF  WIGHT  — EARL  MOIRA. 

Written  February,  1833. 

This  island,  which  is  the  brightest  gem  in  the  British 
crown,  wras,  according  to  tradition,  once  a  part  of  Eng 
land,  and  was  separated  by  the  action  of  the  sea.  How 
ever  that  may  be,  it  is  a  most  beautiful  and  productive 
spot  —  one  years  production  being  equal  to  five  year's 
consumption.  Add  to  which,  the  scenery,  naturally  very 
beautiful,  is  highly  embellished  by  art ;  abounding  in  vil- 


248  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

las  and  gardens.  The  sea  port  is  Covves,  a  dirty  little 
town,  without  a  hotel  or  decent  inn,  unless  they  have 
been  built  in  the  last  twenty  years.  A  great  number  of 
vessels  from  the  United  States,  used  to  call  at  this  port 
for  orders  ;  while  those  bound  to  the  United  States,  called 
there  for  passengers  —  many  preferring  to  wait  there,  to 
going  on  board  at  Graves  End. 

In  October,  1803,  I  had  been  there  but  a  day  or  two, 
before  I  learnt  there  was  a  neat  little  town,  near  the  cen 
tre  of  the  island,  called  Newport,  where  there  were  two 
or  three  respectable  inns,  and  one,  (the  Bugle,)  very 
superior.  The  coach  went  every  two  hours,  and  I  lost 
no  time  in  getting  out  of  such  a  dirty  hole  as  "  the  Dol 
phin,"  at  Cowes.  The  distance  was  about  seven  miles, 
and  in  less  than  two  hours,  I  found  myself  in  the  enjoy 
ment  of  every  comfort,  at  the  Bugle.  The  town  has 
good  streets,  laid  out  at  right  angles,  and  is  a  most  desi 
rable  residence,  having  pleasant  walks  and  beautiful  rides 
in  every  direction.  About  a  mile  from  the  town  are  the 
ruins  of  Carysbrook  Castle,  celebrated  as  having  been 
the  place  where  Charles  the  First  was  confined,  and  from 
whence  he  had  nigh  made  his  escape.  Also  for  a  citadel, 
then  in  good  preservation,  although  built  by  the  Saxons, 
in  the  seventh  century. 

As  nothing  could  be  of  more  importance  to  the  occu 
pants  of  an  ancient  castle,  than  a  supply  of  good  water, 
the  builders  of  this  had  taken  unusual  pains  to  secure  so 
desirable  an  object.  In  the  court  yard  was  a  well  three 
hundred  feet  deep,  two  hundred  of  which  was  dug 
through  solid  rock  ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  eminence 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  249 

on  which  the  castle  stood,  was  sunk  a  number  of  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  sea.  There  was  an  hundred 
feet  of  pure  water  in  the  well,  which  was  drawn  in  a 
bucket  the  size  of  a  barrel,  by  a  jack  walking  in  a  wheel. 
One  of  these  animals  drew  it  there  for  forty-eight  years, 
and  his  successor  had  hrawn  it  upwards  of  twelve.  To 
show  the  purity  of  the  air,  at  this  great  depth,  a  lamp 
attached  to  a  small  chain,  was  lowered  until  it  rested 
upon  the  surface  of  the  water,  where  it  burnt  as  bright  as 
at  the  top  of  the  well. 

In  1802,  parliament  provided  for  raising  an  army  of 
reserve  of  fifty  thousand  men,  to  rendezvous  on  this  isl 
and,  a  mile  or  two  from  Newport,  on  the  road  to  Cowes, 
where  immense  barracks  were  provided  for  their  recep 
tion.  The  great  number  of  officers  attached  to  this  depot, 
made  Newport  very  lively,  particularly  in  the  evening, 
when  the  neat  little  theatre  was  full. 

I  had  been  in  Newport  about  a  week,  when,  standing 
at  the  door  of  the  Bugle  one  evening,  just  at  sun  down,  a 
gentleman  of  a  most  noble  appearance,  having  on  a  blue 
surtout  coat  and  large  cocked  hat,  mounted  on  horse  back, 
and  followed  by  a  servant,  rode  up  and  dismounted ;  as 
he  passed  into  the  house,  the  salutation  of  the  hat  passed 
between  us,  and  I  saw  no  more  of  him  until  the  next 
evening,  when  my  host  entered  my  sitting  room,  and 
informed  me,  that  Earl  Moira  would  be  glad  if  I  would 
spend  the  evening  and  sup  with  him ;  I  replied  that  I 
knew  no  such  person,  except  by  reputation.  My  host 
then  stated,  that  the  Earl  had  asked  him  who  I  was,  and 
he  had  told  him  my  name  and  nation,  and  that  I  was  the  n 


250  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

waiting  for  a  ship  to  take  me  on  board  at  Cowes.  After 
this  explanation,  I  accepted  the  invitation,  and  sent  an 
answer  accordingly. 

In  about  an  hour,  preceded  by  my  host,  I  waited  on 
his  lordship,  and  was  introduced  ;  my  reception  was  all 
that  could  be  wished.     The  Earl  then  informed  me,  that, 
learning  from  our  host  that  I  was  from  the  United  States, 
he  had  sought  my  acquaintance,  in  the  hope  that  I  would 
give  him  information  of  some  of  his  old  acquaintances  of 
the   revolutionary  war.     My  readers  will  all  recollect 
that  in  the  history  of  that  war,  the  Earl  made  a  very  con 
spicuous  figure,  as  Lord  Rawdon.     I   was  pleased  to 
have  it  in  my  power  to  gratify  his  lordship  far  beyond 
his  expectations,  and  after  an  excellent  supper  of  beef 
steak  and  oysters,  with  a  bottle  of  old  port,  we  found  the 
night  had  crept  into  the  morning,  before  we  parted.     I 
gained  much  information  from  him  of  the  then  situation 
of  affairs,  both  in  England  and  on  the  Continent.     The 
next  day  I  took  a  drive  with  him  to  Ryde,  and  the  day 
after,  out  to  the  barracks,  where  he  made  me  acquainted 
with  a  great  many  officers  ;  I  was  thus  in  the  high  road 
to  the  most  agreeable  society  imaginable,  when  I  receiv 
ed  a  note  that  the  ship  was  at  Cowes,  and  I  must  be  on 
board  the  next  morning  at  ten.     It  was  most  provoking, 
but  there  was  no  help  for  it,  so  I  made  the  most  of  it,  by 
having  the  Earl  to  sup  with  me,  with  a  gentleman  of  the 
town  who  had  previously  shown  me  some  attention,  and 
the  next  morning  took  the  eight  o'clock  coach  for  Cowes. 
I  passed  the  barracks  without  having  an  opportunity  of 
saying  good-by  to  any  old,  or  new  acquaintances,  which 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  251 

was  sufficiently  disagreeable  ;  but  a  much  more  painful 
occurrence  awaited  me :  I  had  not  got  a  mile  further, 
when  I  met  a  company  of  infantry  escorting  forty-eight 
deserters,  in  irons,  and  when  I  reflected  on  the  severe 
punishment,  and  consequent  mass  of  suffering  which 
would  fall  to  their  lot,  it  gave  me  the  heart-ache,  and  I 
lost  sight  of  the  enjoyment  I  had  so  liberally  participated 
in.  The  very  high  bounty  that  was  given,  to  fill  up  the 
ranks  of  this  army  of  reserve,  (£50,)  induced  many  to 
enlist  with  a  view  to  that  very  object. 

The  Earl  was  afterwards  sent  out  to  India,  as  Govern 
or  General,  and  on  his  return  was  created  Marquis  of 
Hastings. 


TOTAL  ECLIPSE  OF  THE  SUN. 

A  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  is  probably  the  most  sublime 
sight  that  it  ever  was  man's  lot  to  view.  We  all  know 
that  such  a  phenomenon  occurs  very  seldom,  and  when 
it  does  occur,  is  only  total  to  the  view  over  a  small  extent 
of  country.  It  was  my  happiness  to  be  at  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  when  the  total  eclipse  of  June,  1806,  took 
place  ;  the  day  was  perfectly  bright  —  the  phenomenon 
commenced  between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock,  and  after 
the  sun  became  totally  obscured,  it  remained  so  for  more 
than  half  an  hour.  Its  operation  upon  animated  nature 
was  truly  and  awfully  sublime.  The  birds  flew  about 


252  REMINISCENCES     OF    THE 

in  every  direction,  in  evident  distress  and  terror  ;  the  do 
mestic  fowls  ran  about  in  all  directions,  cackling  as  in 
a  fright.  Horses  galloped  round  their  pastures  neighing ; 
while  the  horned  cattle,  which  seemed  more  affrighted 
than  the  rest,  tore  up  the  earth  with  their  horns  and  feet 
in  madness  —  all  this  uproar  was  followed  by  the  silence 
of  midnight,  when  the  eclipse  was  complete  ;  the  birds 
retired  to  their  resting  places,  the  fowls  to  their  roosts, 
the  horses  to  their  stalls,  and  the  cattle  to  their  mangers, 
while  the  stars  shone  forth  in  their  beauty,  and  all  was 
still. 

When  the  sun  began  to  re-appear,  a  large  number  of 
musicians,  students  of  Brown  University,  assembled  upon 
the  terrace  of  the  college,  and  struck  up  Milton's  Hymn 
to  Light.  The  effect  was  altogether  sublime  and  beau 
tiful.  Nothing  that  ever  met  my  eye  or  ear,  before  or 
since,  was  ever  equal  to  it. 


SAMUEL  ADAMS. 

There  are  few  subjects  that  afford  me  more  satisfac 
tion  than  looking  back  upon  my  youth,  and  searching  the 
store-house  of  memory  for  those  facts  then  laid  up  in  it 
for  future  use.  In  the  pursuit  of  this  object  I,  some  two 
years  since,  wrote  reminiscences  of  John  Hancock,  which 
I  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing,  were  prized  by  his 
descendants,  and  read  with  avidity  by  thousands  in  Mas 
sachusetts,  and  elsewhere. 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  253 

I  have  taken  for  my  subject  on  this  occasion,  recollec 
tions  of  SAMUEL  ADAMS,  who,  though  not  "  a  hero  with 
out  example?  was  "  a  patriot  without  reproach"  In 
speaking  of  circumstances  so  long  passed,  I  shall  speak 
only  of  what  I  know ;  never  having  read  "  the  biography 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,"  I 
know  not  what  account  may  there  be  given  of  any  of 
them.  I  never  saw  Mr.  Adams  until  the  year  1792  ;  he 
was  then  far  in  the  vale  of  years,  with  a  constitution 
which  was,  judging  from  his  appearance,  naturally  strong, 
but  then  nearly  worn  out,  not  with  toil,  but  care.  He 
still  continued  to  use  all  ihe  exercise  his  strength  would 
admit,  by  visiting,  almost  daily,  a  Mr.  Hughs,  a  consta 
ble,  a  respectable  calling  in  Boston  in  those  days,  what 
ever  it  may  be  now.  They  had  been  friends  from  early 
life,  and  the  same  intimacy  was  common  between  their 
respective  ladies.  Mr.  Adams  was  then  lieutenant-gov 
ernor,  a  place  of  honor,  with  but  little  profit,  and  no  duty 
at  all,  except  in  case  of  the  death  of  the  governor,  when» 
ex-officio,  the  duties  of  the  executive  devolved  upon  the 
lieutenant.  Mr.  Adams  lived  in  a  large  old  fashioned 
frame  house,  on  Winter  street,  which  had  once  been 
painted  yellow,  but,  like  its  venerable  owner,  was  a  good 
deal  the  worse  for  wear.  He  entertained  little  or  no 
company,  having  neither  the  means  nor  the  inclination  to 
do  it.  He  was  poor. 

On  the  death  of  Governor  Hancock,  he  walked  as  chief 
mourner,  preceded  only  by  the  Hancock  piece  of  artil 
lery.  (It  is  proper  here  to  remark,  that  the  first  cannon 
taken  from  the  British  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  were 

VOL.  I.  22 


254  REMINISCENCES     OF    THE 

two  brass  four  pounders,  on  one  of  which  was  engraven, 
by  order  of  the  State,  the  name  of  John  Hancock,  and  on 
the  other,  Samuel  Adams,  with  appropriate  devices.) 
Before  the  almost  interminable  procession  had  reached 
State  street,  Mr.  Adams'  strength  failed  him,  and  he  re 
tired.     He  had  then  become  ex-officio  Governor  of  the 
State,  and  at  the  next  election  was  confirmed  in  his  high 
office  by  the  votes  of  the  people.     The  then  salary  of  the 
Governor  of  Massachusetts,  if  my  memory  serves,  was 
a  thousand  pounds  currency,  or  $3,333 — but   a   very 
small  sum  towards  enabling  the  incumbent  of  the  Guber 
natorial  chair,  to  follow  the  example,  in  style  and  hospi 
tality,  set  by  Hancock,  who  lived,  and  entertained  like  a 
prince.      Mr.   Adams   possessed   neither  carriage   nor 
horses,  but  he  had  been  elected  Governor   but  a   few 
weeks,  when  some  gentlemen  of  Boston,  presented  the 
venerable  patriot  with  a  new  and  handsome  chariot,  and 
a  pair  of  as  fine  horses  as  there  were  in  the  city.     The 
first  use  he  made  of  his  new  equippage,  shows  the  man  in  a 
point  of  view  too  rare  not  to  be  admired  ;  seating  himself 
beside  his  venerable  lady,  they  drove  to  Constable  Hughs', 
where  the  governor  alighted,  and  handing  Mrs.  Hughs 
into  his  seat,  the  two  old  ladies  drove  off  together,  whilst 
he  staid  and  talked  with  his  old  friend,  and  I  stood  by 
devouring  their  discourse. 

In  1793,  theatrical  entertainments  were  first  introduced 
into  Boston  after  the  Revolution.  There  was  an  express 
law  against  them.  Application  was  made  to  the  legisla 
ture  to  repeal  the  law,  and  it  passed  both  houses ;  but 
Mr.  Adams  was  then  governor,  and  refused  to  sign  it ; 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  255 

and  we  doubt  whether  it  has  ever  been  repealed   to 
this  day. 

It  is  recorded  of  Mr.  Adams,  that  a  large  sum  was 
offered  him  by  agents  of  the  British  government,  to  take 
sides  with  it  against  his  native  land,  but  it  was  indignantly 
spurned,  and  on  a  subsequent  occasion,  when  a  similar 
circumstance  was  alluded  to,  he  exclaimed,  "  they  well 
know  that  a  guinea  never  glistened  in  my  eyes."  It  was 
well  for  our  country,  and  for  mankind,  that  there 
were  such  men,  in  whose  eyes  guineas  did  not  glisten ; 
they  appear  to  have  been  raised  up  for  the  occasion,  and 
having  accomplished  the  great  work  given  them  to  do, 
have  disappeared  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  there 
have  arisen  in  their  stead,  a  race  of  men  so  unlike  them, 
that  it  seems  scarcely  possible  they  can  be  the  descend 
ants  of  such  sires.  The  contrast  is  striking,  and  well 
calculated  to  make  us  tremble  for  the  future. 


POSTSCRIPT  TO  THE  REMINISCENCES. 

In  my  proposals  for  this  work,  issued  in  February, 
1840,  I  stated  I  was  going  to  make  a  tour  through  seve 
ral  of  the  States,  before  I  put  the  work  to  press,  and 
would  add  whatever  I  might  notice  of  men  and  things 
during  my  tour.  I  shall  now  proceed  to  comply  with 
my  engagement,  and  shall  commence  with  my  leaving 
home,  and  give  my  reminiscences  (for  I  was  too  ill  to 


256  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

make  even   memorandums)   in   the   order  in   which  I 
travelled. 

I  left  home  on  Sunday,  March  27th,  on  board  a  steam 
boat  for  Wheeling,  where  I  arrived  on  Wednesday 
morning,  and  found  the  town  greatly  improved,  in  size, 
beauty,  and  business,  since  I  had  seen  it,  eleven  years 
before.  Here  I  met  with  an  old  friend,  Ely  Dorsey, 
Esq.,  who  treated  me  with  hospitality,  and  offered  me 
his  services  in  promoting  the  sale  of  this  work.  I  left 
Wheeling  in  the  afternoon.  In  my  passage  to  and  over 
the  mountains,  I  saw  nothing  worth  particular  notice. 
The  spring  was  cold  and  backward. 

At  Cumberland,  on  enquiry,  I  found  that  the  Chesa 
peake  and  Ohio  canal  had  not  reached  there,  and  that  it 
would  require  a  million  of  dollars  more  to  bring  it  to 
that  place. 

When  I  passed  through  the  beautiful  counties  of 
Washington  and  Frederick,  in  Maryland,  they  presented 
vegetation  rapidly  advancing,  and  spring  arrayed  in  all 
her  beauty.  Worn  out  with  fatigue,  I  stopped  at  Frede 
rick  two  or  three  days,  to  recruit,  and  was  immediately 
struck  with  the  little  improvement  that  had  taken  place 
in  the  city  since  I  saw  it,  eleven  years  before.  The 
cause  was  plain  to  me :  it  was  the  railroad,  which  car 
ries  every  thing  through,  and  leaves  nothing  behind ;  the 
very  source  which  they  looked  to  for  prosperity,  has  dried 
up  all  their  former  sources  of  it,  and  property  has  fallen 
greatly  in  consequence. 

The  operation  of  railroads,  so  far  as  some  twelve  or 
fifteen  hundred  miles  of  travel  upon  them,  in  the  last  three 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  257 

months,  give  me  an  opportunity  of  judging,  is  simply 
this :  —  to  build  up  large  towns  at  each  end  of  the  line 
of  road,  where  that  line  is  of  any  considerable  length, 
at  the  expense  of  all  the  intermediate  towns  ;  which  may 
date  their  ruin  from  the  commencement  of  the  operations 
of  the  road  —  as  illustrated  by  the  great  decline  in  value 
of  property  in  Frederick,  and  the  almost  total  destruc 
tion,  already,  of  the  once  flourishing  village  of  New 
market,  between  Frederick  and  Baltimore.  But  they 
are  of  incalculable  advantage  to  the  agriculturist,  by  ena 
bling  him  to  get  to  market  in  a  few  hours,  when  markets 
are  high. 

After  recovering,  in  some  degree,  from  my  fatigue,  I 
left  Frederick,  and  took  the  stage,  by  Montgomery  court 
house,  to  Washington,  where  I  stopped  three  days,  and 
as  tiresome  ones  as  I  ever  passed.  I  had  several  letters 
to  members  of  congress,  which  were  of  no  more  value 
than  as  many  pieces  of  old  newspapers.  One  was  to  a 
"  gallant,  gay  Lothario,"  from  Maine,  who  was  so  exclu 
sively  taken  up  with  the  ladies,  that  he  could  not  pay 
decent  attention  to  an  introductory  letter  from  his  friend. 
This  gentleman  generally  makes  a  short  speech,  once  a 
year,  for  home  consumption;  —  that,  and  an  occasional 
stump  speech  at  a  log  cabin  raising,  is  about  the  amount 
of  his  statesmanship. 

From  another  member,  and  he  one  of  our  Western 
stars,  I  received  a  glass  of  water  and  a  segar.  So  much 
for  congressional  hospitality.  I  went  into  the  gallery, 
and  looked  down  upon  them ;  no  decent  man  would  look 

22* 


258  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

up  to  such  a  body.  Joseph  Gales,  Esq.,  of  the  National 
Intelligencer,  gave  me  a  cordial  and  hearty  welcome. 

At  the  expiration  of  three  days,  I  left  the  city,  on  my 
way  to  Charleston,  by  way  of  Fredericksburg,  Virginia, 
and  Wilmington,  North  Carolina ;  and  never  was  I  more 
agreeably  surprised,  than  when  I  found  the  much  abused 
"  Old  Rip  Van  Winkle,"— as  North  Carolina  is  face 
tiously  called  —  had,  while  he  was  supposed  to  have 
been  asleep,  made  the  longest  railroad  in  the  world,  (one 
hundred  and  sixty-one  and  a  half  miles,)  and  at  a  less 
price  than  ever  was  paid  before. 

The  line  of  conveyance  from  Washington  to  Charles 
ton  is  as  follows :  —  From  Washington,  by  steamboat, 
down  the  Potomac,  to  Potomac  creek ;  from  thence, 
by  stage  nine  miles,  to  Fredericksburg,  Virginia ;  from 
thence,  by  railroad,  to  Wilmington,  N.  C.;  and  from 
thence,  by  steamboat,  to  Charleston.  The  whole  ex 
pense  of  this  long  line  of  conveyance,  (from  six  to  seven 
hundred  miles,)  including  three  or  four  steamboats  at 
each  end  of  it,  and  a  dozen  coaches  to  run  to  and  from 
Fredericksburg,  all  the  rest  railroad,  did  not  exceed  two 
millions  of  dollars  ! !  From  Wilmington,  the  road  is  as 
straight  as  a  line  can  be  drawn,  for  fifty  miles,  with  here 
and  there  a  slight  embankment,  or  cut ;  but  a  very  large 
proportion  of  it  is  a  natural  level  ;  and  there  are,  at  hand, 
the  whole  length  of  the  road,  materials  to  keep  it  in 
repair.  The  road  is  well  and  substantially  made  ;  and 
the  travel  over  it,  as  near  as  I  could  judge  from  passing 
it  twice,  about  thirty-five  persons,  each  way,  per  day. 
The  country  through  which  it  passes,  ist  miserably  poor. 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  259 

The  fare  is  thirty  dollars  from  Washington  to  Charleston, 
besides  meals,  which  are  fifty  cents  each.  Time  gene 
rally  about  sixty  hours  —  has  been  done  in  less  than 
forty-eight ! 

CHARLESTON,    S.    C. 

I  arrived  in  this  city  about  the  twelfth  of  April.  That 
part  of  the  city  north  of  Broad  street,  was  so  totally 
altered,  with  some  trifling  exceptions  upon  East  Bay 
street,  that  I  could  not  bring  to  my  remembrance  any 
part  of  it ;  nor  could  it  be  expected  that  I  should,  when 
it  is  considered  that  the  frame  buildings  which  constituted 
a  very  large  portion  of  it,  were  all  destroyed  in  the  great 
conflagration  upwards  of  two  years  ago,  as  well  as  most 
of  the  brick  ones,  and  that  the  streets  have  many  of  them 
been  widened,  and  all  rebuilt  with  new  and  elegant  brick 
buildings,  public  and  private. 

But  it  is  not  in  the  buildings  alone,  that  there  are  such 
great  changes ;  they  are  equally  as  great  in  those  that 
inhabit  them.  The  generous  hospitality  ;  the  chivalrous 
spirit ;  the  high  and  noble  bearing  ;  have,  and  are,  giving 
place  to  contracted  views  and  habits,  so  different  from 
the  days  of  the  olden  time,  that  it  is  difficult  to  suppose 
that  they  are  the  descendants  of  the  same  people.  I  looked 
around  me  in  vain  for  most  of  those  friends  that  were 
once  so  near  and  so  dear  to  me  —  but  they  were  not  to 
be  found ;  they  slept  with  their  fathers,  and  their  sons 
occupied  their  places.  Twenty-four  years  had  made  a 
chasm,  which  to  me  must  ever  remain  one  —  even  time 


260  REMINISCENCES      OF     THE 

cannot  fill  it  up.  Pinckney,  Lehre.  Blanding,  Geddes, 
Hayne,  Lance,  Hunt,  Simmons,  and  hundreds  of  others, 
all,  all  are  gone.  I  walked  the  streets  for  two  hours 
without  meeting  with  a  face  that  I  knew,  or  one  that  ap 
peared  to  know  me.  I  was  seriously  thinking  whether 
I  would  not  immediately  return  to  whence  I  came,  when 
a  gentleman  accosted  me  by  name,  in  whom  I  recog- 
nizedj  a  friend  of  forty  years'  standing.  Another  and  an 
other  came,  and  I  found,  although  many  were  dead,  there 
were  still  some  among  the  living,  to  bid  me  welcome. — 
Many  of  the  sons  knew  me,  from  having  heard  their  fa 
thers  speak  of  me,  and  sought  acquaintance  with  their 
father's  friend.  William  Patton,  Esq.,  took  me  to  his 
house,  insisting  I  should  make  it  my  home.  His  brother- 
in-law,  Thomas  Kerr,  Esq.,  was  alike  hospitable  in  his 
attentions  ;  so  was  Mr.  Conner,  Doctor  Porcher,  Richard 
Yeadon,  jun.,  Esq.,  and  a  number  of  others,  among  them, 
that  fine,  venerable,  old  school  gentleman,  Roger  Herri- 
ot,  Esq.,  who  treated  and  entertained  me  like  a  brother. 
But  of  the  host  of  those  who  did  me  the  honor  of  their 
visits,  at  different  times,  in  Cincinnati,  Mr.  R.  Yeadon, 
jun.,  only  was  at  home ! 

After  a  visit  of  fifteen  days,  and  having  sought  sub 
scriptions  to  my  Reminiscences,  to  any  extent,  in  vain? 
not  having  received  as  many,  by  one  half,  as  would  pay 
me  for  what  the  Cincinnati  and  Charleston  Railroad  has 
cost  me,  I  took  leave  of  my  friends,  and  returned  to 
Washington,  and  from  thence  continued  on  to 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  261 

BALTIMORE. 

Thus,  after  an  absence  of  twelve  years,  I  found  myself 
again  in  the  monumental  city,  and  received  a  hearty  wel 
come  from  my  old  friends,  Isaac  Monroe,  Esq.,  of  the 
Patriot,  and  Murphy  &  Bose,  Esqrs.,  of  the  American. 
I  had  no  expectation  of  being  back  from  the  South,  in 
time  to  witness  the  proceedings  of  the  great  convention, 
but  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  arrive  there  two  or  three 
days  before  that  soul  stirring  event  took  place ;  all  of 
which  1  saw,  and  a  most  sublime  spectacle  it  was,  to  see 
the  people  literally  come  to  their  country's  rescue.  Since 
then,  I  have  witnessed  several  similar  assemblies  of  the 
people,  although  not  on  quite  so  large  a  scale.  The  no 
ble,  generous  call,  publicly  made,  by  Isaac  Monroe,  Esq., 
of  the  Patriot,  for  the  members  of  the  editorial  corps, 
then  in  Baltimore,  to  call  and  make  themselves  at  home 
at  his  "  Log  Cabin,"  was  alike  worthy  of  the  man,  and 
the  occasion,  and  was  carried  out  in  the  same  warm 
hearted,  generous  spirit,  that  dictated  it. 

Baltimore  has  greatly  improved  in  the  last  dozen  years, 
and  if  she  had  undertaken  less,  and  done  more,  in  the 
way  of  internal  improvement,  it  would  have  been  better 
for  her.  Both  the  State,  and  the  city,  are  involved  in 
debt ;  the  former,  as  I  am  informed,  to  the  amount  of 
fifteen  millions,  the  latter  to  the  amount  of  five  millions. 
These  sums  appear  large,  and  are  so  —  but  a  compara 
tive  triile,  had  the  money  been  judiciously  expended  — 
they  might  now  have  been  making  the  interest  of  it.  Let 
the  canal,  or  the  road,  be  abandoned  at  Cumberland,  and 


262  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

the  other  forced  on  to  its  terminus  at  the  Ohio,  without 
loss  of  time,  and  all  may  yet  be  well,  both  for  Baltimore, 
and  the  District  of  Columbia. 

After  sixteen  days  spent  in  Baltimore,  with  very  little 
success  to  my  literary  enterprise,  I  left  it  for  Philadel 
phia,  where  the  National  Gazette,  Chronicle,  Ledger,  and 
some  other  papers,  called  the  public  attention  to  my 
work,  after  having  seen  samples  of  it,  in  a  manner  highly 
creditable,  both  to  the  work  and  its  author.  They  will 
please  accept  my  best  acknowledgements. 

Having  been  eight  days  in  Philadelphia,  I  went  to  New 
York,  where  hospitality  and  kindness  met  me  at  every 
turn.  My  old  friend  Noah,  of  the  "  Star"  gave  me  a 
cordial  greeting,  both  through  his  press,  and  at  his  house ; 
so  did  Mr.  Townsend,  of  the  Express.  My  old  friend 
Brooks,  was  on  a  visit  to  my  house,  in  Cincinnati,  about 
the  same  time.  So  did  Major  Van  Buren,  at  whose 
house  I  staid;  not  the  prince,  but  a  cousin  of  his.  Then 
there  was  Mr.  Howard,  whose  hospitality  is  of  the  old 
school,  which  always  comes  from  the  heart  of  the  offerer, 
and  cannot  fail  to  reach  that  of  the  recipient ;  with  oth 
ers,  not  now  recollected.  Handsome  notices  of  my  forth 
coming  work,  and  its  author,  appeared  in  numerous  pa 
pers  throughout  the  Union,  about  this  time.  The  editors 
who  wrote  those  notices,  most  of  them,  are  personally 
unknown  to  me,  but  know  me  as  an  editor  of  long  stand 
ing,  and  have  seen  numerous  samples  of  the  work  itself. 
From  New  York  I  went  to 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  263 

XEW    HAVEN, 

The  Athens  of  the  East,  as  Cincinnati  is  of  the  West. 
Here  my  old  friend,  T.  G.  Woodward,  Esq.,  editor  of  the 
Herald,  with  his  friends,  deluged  me  with  hospitality  and 
kindness.  Here,  education,  science,  literature,  and  the 
arts,  have  their  abiding  place  :  —  with  hospitality,  kind 
ness,  and  benevolence,  seated  at  their  right  hand,  they 
send  forth  streams  which  fertilize  the  mind,  preparing  it 
for  usefulness  in  this  world,  and  happiness  in  the  next. 
Here,  amid  the  shades  of  academic  groves,  directed  by 
the  luminous  minds  of  a  Silliman,  a  Daggett,  a  Webster, 
and  a  host  of  others,  the  student  studies  the  past  to  fit 
himself  for  the  future.  With  such  teachers,  and  such 
groves  to  study  in,  who  would  not  be  a  student  ?  Had 
I  had  the  opportunity,  no  inducement  should  have  depri 
ved  me  of  its  advantages  ;  I  would  have  clung  to  them 
as  to  life,  and  hewed  a  path  to  honorable  fame,  or  died 
in  the  attempt. 

No  wonder  the  venerable  "  Yale"  has  gone  so  far 
ahead  of  all  our  country's  literary  institutions  in  the 
number  of  her  students  ;  what  student,  if  he  had  his 
choice,  and  knew  the  place,  would  go  elsewhere  ?  Even 
the  idle  and  the  stupid  would  become  students  here,  such 
are  the  opportunities  that  present  themselves  ;  with  the 
beautiful  scenery  that  surrounds  them  during  the  spring 
and  summer  months,  and  the  still  more  beautiful  and  va 
ried  hues  of  autumn,  all  inviting  them  to  study  ;  with 
such  walks  for  contemplation  when  the  mind  falls  back 


264  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

upon  itself,  and  looks  into  its  own  resources,  will  make 
the  dullest  think,  and  thinking,  they  must  learn. 

Her  avenues  ;  her  public  squares  ;  her  shaded  streets  ; 
her  beautiful  churches;  the  elegant  architecture  of  such 
a  great  number  of  her  private  dwellings,  surrounded  with 
shrubberies  and  flower  gardens,  all,  all  conspire  to  make 
her  the  "EDEN"  of  the  Atlantic  States. 

I  will  now  look  into  some  of  the  apartments  of  this 
great  temple  of  learning  and  science.  First,  then,  here 
is  the  splendid  collection  of  minerals.  &c.,  made  bv  the 
late  Col.  George  Gibbs,  and  presented  by  him  to  the 
State,  for  the  benefit  of  the  college ;  this  collection  far 
surpasses  any  other  in  the  United  States,  as  far  as  I  can 
learn.  It  is  arranged  and  classified  in  a  manner  worthy 
the  head  that  dictated,  and  the  hand  that  did  it,  Professor 
Silliman.  In  lecturing  upon  this  beautiful  cabinet,  those 
who  have  heard  him,  assert  that  the  learned  professor 
dives  into  the  very  arcanum  of  nature,  and  makes  the 
earth  yield  up  her  secrets  to  him  that  he  may  promul 
gate  them  for  the  benefit  of  his  race. 

Little  did  I  think,  when  a  young  man,  and  spending 
my  time  in  Providence  for  weeks  and  months  together, 
with  George  Gibbs,  that  he  would  ever  have  presented 
to  his  country  and  to  science,  such  a  collection,  which, 
independent  of  its  real  value,  from  the  difficulty  of  making 
it,  is  above  all  price. 

The  next  object  to  which  my  attention  was  directed, 
was  the  library,  in  which  truth  compels  me  to  say,  I  was 
greatly  disappointed.  Such  a  library,  in  such  an  institu 
tion,  does  no  credit  to  those  who  have  the  government 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  265 

of  it,  particularly  as,  if  I  am  correctly  informed,  they 
have  the  funds  that  would  make  it  what  it  ought  to  be. 

The  next  apartment  that  attracted  my  attention  was  the 
picture  gallery,  filled  with  the  productions  of  the  pencil 
of  the  venerable  Col.  Trumbull :  this  was  a  treat ;  partic 
ularly  the  scenes  from  our  Revolutionary  History  ;  "  all 
of  which  he  saw,  and  part  of  which  he  was."  It  is  a 
fortunate  circumstance  that  these  paintings  have  been 
kept  together.  A  generation  or  two  hence,  the  acts 
of  our  Revolutionary  sires  will  begin  to  be  apprecia 
ted  as  they  ought  to  be ;  but  that  most  desirable  period 
never  can  arrive,  until  our  citizens  generally,  shall  have 
imbibed  the  idea  that  there  are  other  objects  that  require 
our  attention  in  life,  besides  making  money.  At  present, 
in  a  national  point  of  view,  that  is  the  only  object. 

The  gentlemen,  professors,  who  attended  me  in  these 
examinations,  will  please  accept  my  thanks  for  their  polite 
attention.  I  would  name  them,  but  their  names  have 
escaped  me. 

In  a  long  conversation  with  Doctor  WEBSTER,  I  found 
that  his  mind  was  strong,  clear,  and  active  as  ever  ;  his 
conversation  was  full  of  that  spirit  and  vivacity  not  often 
to  be  met  with  in  one  of  his  years.  No  man  in  the  United 
States,  and  I  may  add,  Great  Britain,  (for  she,  too,  has 
adopted  his  dictionary  as  the  standard  of  our  language,) 
has  done  so  much  for  education  as  this  great  lexicogra 
pher,  who,  I  rejoice  to  find,  enjoys  a  green  old  age. 

JUDGE  DAGGETT.  This  profound  lawyer,  and  great 
civilian,  is  so  full  of  activity,  both  of  mind  and  body,  that 
it  might  be  deemed  libellous  to  speak  of  his  age ;  there 

VOL.  I.  23 


266  REMINISCENCES    OF    THE 

are  so  few  over  fifty-five  that  can  compete  with  him. 
He  has  great  conversational  powers,  and  abounds  in  in 
formation  which  he  freely  dispenses  to  others,  frequently 
with  great  humor. 

JUDGE  BALDWIN.  —  This  fine  old-school  gentleman 
was  formerly  professor  of  law  in  the  college,  and  a  dis 
tinguished  lawyer  ;  the  latter  he  still  continues  to  be.  He 
has  the  distinguished  merit  of  having  educated  Professor 
Silliman  for  the  bar,  and  being  among  the  first  to  discover 
that  his  mind  was  suited  to,  and  his  services  were  wanted, 
in  a  totally  different  branch  of  science ;  which  led  to  his 
being  sent  to  Europe,  to  acquire  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  that  branch  (mineralogy)  over  which  he  has  presided 
since  his  return,  with  honor  and  reputation,  both  to  him 
self  and  his  country,  until  the  name  of  Silliman,  and  sci 
ence,  have  become  synonymous  terms. 

The  ladies  of  NewT  Haven  partake  largely  of  those 
noble  qualities  of  the  mind,  for  which  the  gentlemen  are 
so  eminently  distinguished.  In  form,  and  personal  attrac 
tions,  I  have  not  seen  their  superiors.  The  students,  too, 
give  evidence,  that  while  Virgil  and  Horace  are  their 
daily  companions,  Ovid  is  not  entirely  neglected  ;  and 
hence  it  is,  that  so  many  of  these  beautiful  and  accom 
plished  ladies,  find  husbands  among  the  students  from  the 
sunny  South. 

From  New  Haven  I  went  to 


PROVIDENCE  1 


Where  I  was  received  by  a  friend,  dearer  to  me  than 
a  brother,  in  the  person  of  the  Hon.  Samuel  W.  Bridg- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  267 

ham,  mayor  of  the  city ;  with  all  that  fervor  of  friendship 
which  has  existed  between  us  for  forty-four  years,  con 
stantly  increasing  in  strength  as  it  advanced  in  time,  first 
extending  to  his  amiable  and  noble  hearted  lady,  and  from 
them  to  their  children,  and  their  children's  children. 
After  an  absence  of  twenty-four  years,  to  meet  with  such 
a  greeting,  was  no  small  compensation,  for  the  toil, 
trouble  and  anxiety,  I  had  passed  through  in  that  long 
period  ;  but  it  was  not  confined  to  them,  it  extended  to 
their  friends,  and  my  other  old  friends  ;  and  their  papers 
have  proclaimed  with  what  cordiality  I  was  received  by 
thousands  of  the  citizens  in  a  public  meeting.  It  is  but  an 
act  of  gratitude  in  me,  to  the  citizens  of  Providence,  to 
state  two  or  three  facts,  in  relation  to  myself,  which 
occurred  in  that  town  soon  after  I  became  a  resident  of 
it,  in  1804  and  1805. 

No  man  can  be  a  voter,  in  Rhode  Island,  without  being 
first  a  property  holder,  and  then  voted  in  by  the  property 
holders  of  the  town  where  his  property  lies.  I  had  no 
sooner  become  a  property  holder,  than  I  was  voted  in  at 
the  first  town  meeting  thereafter.  Not  long  after,  an 
election  for  governor  took  place.  I  wrote  my  signature 
on  the  back  of  my  vote,  without  recollecting  that  the 
charter  required  my  name  at  full  length,  and  deposited  it 
in  the  box.  Col.  Henry  Smith,  who  was  one  of  the  can 
didates  for  Governor,  called  to  me  and  asked  me  if  I  had 
not  made  a  mistake.  I  told  him  what  I  had  done.  A 
motion  was  immediately  made,  that  the  box  be  opened, 
and  that  I  have  leave  to  withdraw  my  vote  and  deposit 
.mother,  which  was  carried  without  a  dissenting  voice. 


268  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

The  next  year  I  was  married,  and  took  possession  of 
my  house,  over  the  hill,  near  Governor  Former's ;  coming 
into  market  one  morning,  I  met  Judge  Howell,  I  saw 
there  was  mischief  lurking  in  his  eye,  when  he  took  off 
his  hat,  and  bowed  to  me  most  profoundly ;  I  returned 
the  compliment,  when  he  began  by  remarking  what  a 
fortunate  man  I  was,  to  have  such  honors  conferred  upon 
me,  after  such  a  short  residence,  while  he,  who  had  been 
residing  there  for  a  great  many  years  had  never  received 
any  such.  I  asked  him  to  explain  ;  he  went  on  remark 
ing,  that  honors  continued  to  be  heaped  upon  me.  There 
was  a  street  which  led  directly  to  his  house,  which  coun 
cil  had,  the  day  before,  named  "  Thomas  street,"  and  it  is 
still  called  by  that  name.  I  then  told  him  I  was  grateful 
for  the  honor  conferred  upon  me,  and  for  the  very  hand 
some  manner  in  which  he  was  pleased  to  inform  me  of  it. 
I  had  not  heard  of  it  before.  I  then  expressed  my  regrets 
that  he  had  so  long  been  unfortunate  and  neglected,  and 
wished  him  better  luck  in  future  ;  after  a  laugh,  and  a 
shake  of  the  hand  we  separated.  Such  circumstances, 
whatever  they  may  be  to  others,  are  to  me,  sources  of 
pleasant  reminiscences,  as  illustrative  of  the  good  feelings 
of  my  fellow  citizens  towards  me. 

Providence  has  more  than  doubled  in  her  population, 
in  my  absence,  and  in  activity  and  stir  in  her  streets  of 
business,  I  have  seen  nothing  to  surpass  it  in  my  travels 
this  summer,  but  Broadway,  New  York.  I  was  there 
but  three  or  four  days,  and  had  not  time  to  visit  her  insti 
tutions  of  learning,  &c.,  with  the  single  exception  of  the 
Atheneum  ;  this  building  is  very  substantially  built,  of  the 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  269 

most  durable  materials,  and  in  very  good  taste  ;  but  what 
is  of  more  importance,  its  library  is  large,  very  select,  and 
kept  in  the  best  possible  order.  Brown  University  has 
doubled  in  the  size  of  its  buildings,  and  is,  as  I  am  inform 
ed,  in  every  respect  in  a  prosperous  condition.  Its  great 
benefactor,  Nicholas  Brown,  Esq.,  is  still  living,  and  in 
good  health,  to  witness  its  prosperity  and  usefulness. 
The  police  of  Providence,  so  far  as  respects  its  streets, 
and  the  excellent  order  in  which  they  are  kept,  is  very 
good,  and  might  be  imitated  to  advantage  by  some  other 
cities  that  I  have  seen.  I  had  no  opportunity  of  extending 
my  knowledge  further. 

June  16. —  From  Providence  I  went  to  WORCESTER. 
On  my  way  through  Rhode  Island,  I  could  not  but  notice 
the  great  number  of  cotton  factories,  amounting  to  about 
one  hundred, -upwards  of  twenty  of  which  I  counted  in 
one  village,  most  of  them  very  large,  and  nearly  all  stand 
ing  idle,  or  but  half  worked.  I  passed  through  two 
or  three  villages,  the  principal  business  of  which  was 
boot  and  shoe  making,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  hands 
out  of  employment.  This  state  of  manufactures  of 
every  kind,  throughout  New  England,  is  bringing  ma 
ny  of  her  citizens  to  poverty,  and  sending  others,  by 
thousands,  to  seek  their  bread  in  the  fertile  vales  of 
the  great  West.  Millbury,  on  this  road,  is  a  very  pleas 
ant,  and  heretofore  thriving  village,  with  a  variety  of  fac 
tories  for  different  branches  of  manufacture,  such  as 
scythes,  axes,  spades,  shovels,  cotton,  &c.  When  times 
change,  this  village  cannot  but  rapidly  improve.  Already 
a  number  of  professional,  and  other  gentlemen,  have  beau- 

23* 


270  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

tiful  residences  here,  and  form  a  small,  but  very  pleasant 
and  select  society.  It  is  six  miles  from  Worcester,  at  which 
town  I  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  17th  of  June,  when 
the  people  were  pouring  in  from  all  parts  of  the  State, 
by  thousands,  to  form  a  convention  to  nominate  candi 
dates  for  Governor,  and  Lieutenant  Governor,  and  cele 
brate  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  It 
was  a  splendid  spectacle,  second  only  to  that  of  Balti 
more. 

This  town  has  trebled  in  size  since  last  I  saw  it ;  but 
it  evidently  draws  its  principal  support  still,  from  its  be 
ing  the  county  seat,  and  that,  too,  of  a  county  larger  than 
the  whole  State  of  Rhode  Island.  I  had  supposed  that, 
with  its  canal  for  water  power,  and  its  railroad  for  con 
veyance,  it  would  have  become  a  great  manufacturing 
town ;  but  I  see  no  prospect  of  it  at  present.  I  have 
been  there  three  or  four  times,  within  a  month,  but  only 
once  to  spend  the  day,  and  that  was  of  a  Sunday,  so  that 
I  have  had  no  opportunity  of  seeing  the  Antiquarian 
Hall,  or  visiting  the  noble  institution  for  the  insane,  which 
is  on  a  large  scale,  and  said  to  be  most  admirably  con 
ducted.  It  belongs  to  the  State,  and  is  under  the  super 
vision  of  the  Legislature  of  course. 

I  entered  the  court-house  once,  where  the  contrast  be 
tween  now,  and  upwards  of  half  a  century  ago,  was  very 
striking.  Then  the  superior  court  consisted  of  five  judges ; 
less  than  three  could  not  hold  a  court.  There  was  Dana, 
Gushing,  Sumner,  Paine,  and  Sewell,  and  Attorney  Gene- 
lal  Sullivan,  with  his  crooked  leg  foremost.  Then  there 
was  Sheriff  Greenleaf,  from  Lancaster,  marching  before 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  271 

them,  like  a  turkey  cock  before  a  hen  and  six  chickens, 
with  his  gold  laced  scarlet  coat,  vest,  and  cocked  hat,  and 
dress  sword,  with  his  long  white  wand  in  his  hand,  and 
when  he  reached  the  court-house  steps,  he  stepped  aside, 
and  stood  uncovered  until  their  honors  had  walked  in, 
when  he  brought  up  the  rear,  and  took  his  elevated  seat 
in  a  little  box,  on  the  right  hand,  and  in  front  of  and  facing 
the  judges.  There  he  set  up  his  wand,  hung  his  gold- 
laced  hat  upon  it,  and  looked  authority,  while  directly 
opposite  to  him,  in  a  box  exactly  similar,  sat  Mr.  Bridge, 
the  crier,  with  his  smooth  face,  and  nicely  powdered  bush 
wig,  (he  was  a  barber,)  dressed  neat  as  a  pin.  Woe  to 
the  unlucky  wight  that  made  a  noise  while  he  sat  there  ; 
and  then,  to  hear  him  open  and  adjourn  the  court ;  such 
eloquence  and  dignity  —  why,  I  would  not  have  missed 
it  for  nincpence.  Then  there  was  the  Bar,  consisting  of 
Levi  Lincoln,  Esq.,  at  the  head,  with  his  bald  crown,  and 
pleasant,  smiling  face ;  but  he  looked  as  blue  as  indigo 
at  me  once,  when  he  found  me  laying  down  in  his  grass, 
picking  strawberries.  Then  there  was  Edward  Bangs, 
Esq.  ;  he  too  had  a  head  finely  fitted  for  a  phrenological 
examination,  for  there  was  little  or  no  hair  on  it ;  and 
Nathaniel  Paine,  Esq.,  a  very  sedate,  prim-looking  gen 
tleman  ;  these  three  were  of  Worcester.  Then  there 
was  John  Sprague,  Esq.,  of  Lancaster,  sour  as  vinegar, 
and  made  me  run  once  like  a  leg  treasurer,  when  he 
came  nigh  catching  me  stealing  nuts  off  a  shell-bark  tree, 
in  his  grounds.  Then  there  was  Dwight  Foster,  Esq. 
a  fine,  fat,  talented,  jolification  old  school  gentleman  as 
ever  was ;  and  Pliny  Merrick,  Esq.,  who  looked  as  nice 


272  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

as  if  he  was  just  out  of  a  bandbox,  when  he  had  on  his 
brigade  major's  uniform  ;  both  him  and  'Squire  Foster, 
were  from  Brookfield :  and  although  last,  not  least,  for 
he  was  near  twice  the  size  of  Mr.  Bangs,  came  Solomon 
Strong,  Esq.,  of  Leominster  —  he  would  make  a  witness 
a  knave,  if  he  was  an  honest  man  when  he  began  with 
him —  by  his  cross  examination  ;  and  those  were  all.  So 
much  for  a  court  in  the  olden  time.  When  I  left  Wor 
cester,  forty-eight  years  ago,  two  brothers,  Trask,  I  think 
their  name  was,  had  been  on  trial  for  horse  stealing,  a 
few  years.  When  I  was  at  Worcester,  the  other  day, 
I  forgot  to  enquire  whether  the  trial  was  finished  yet 
or  not. 

I  was  in  Boston  about  a  month  ago,  but  was  only  there 
a  few  hours,  as  no  further  delay  in  putting  this  work  to 
press  could  be  admitted. 

During  all  my  journeyings  since  I  left  home,  I  have 
had  an  eye  to  the  state  of  the  crops,  and  a  fine  opportu 
nity  of  seeing  them.  The  crop  of  hay,  which  is  already 
secured,  is  at  least  equal  to  any  that  has  preceded  it. — 
Passing  back  and  forth  through  the  largest  portion  of 
Connecticut,  and  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  with  the  best 
part  of  Massachusetts,  New  Jersey,  Delaware,  and  parts 
of  several  other  States,  and  not  satisfied  with  my  own 
observation,  after  so  long  an  absence,  I  have  made  dili 
gent  enquiry,  which  amounts  to  this  —  that  the  crop  of 
rye  was  never  better ;  that  oats  would  be  a  full  average, 
if  not  a  great  crop.  The  corn  is  unusually  forward  ;  I 
saw  fields  of  it  beginning  to  tassel  July  the  6th,  both 


LAST      SIXTY -FIVE      YEARS.  273 

in  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts ;  a  circumstance  I  never 
saw  before,  so  early  in  the  season,  although  I  lived  in 
Massachusetts  until  I  was  twenty. 


ARNOLD'S  ESCAPE. 

The  following  soul-stirring  article  relates  facts  in  our 
revolutionary  history  that  are  new  to  me  ;  they  have  but 
just  come  into  my  hands,  and  are  much  too  important  to 
be  omitted  in  a  work,  one  of  the  greatest  objects  of  which 
is,  to  preserve  for  posterity,  such  materials  as  my  own 
reminiscences  furnish,  and  such  as  I  can  glean  from  other 
sources. 

The  conduct  of  the  traitor  Arnold  to  the  boatmen 
seem  too  base  to  be  recorded,  it  reflects  so  much  against 
human  nature.  What  must  have  been  the  wretch's 
feelings  when  the  noble  captain  of  the  Vulture  spurned 
him,  and  treated  him  as  he  did?  With  such  a  beginning 
for  a  life  of  infamy,  what  could  he  expect  in  its  progress  ? 
How  any  decent  man  could  ever  acknowledge  acquaint 
ance,  or  hold  any  kind  of  intercourse  with  such  a  being, 
is  a  problem  I  cannot  solve.  I  will  not  keep  the  reader 
any  longer  from  the  tale  of  infamy  on  the  one  part,  and 
noble,  high  minded  honor  on  the  other.  I  love  that  noble 
Englishman  ;  would  that  I  knew  his  name. 

FROM    THE    BOSTON    MERCANTILE    JOURNAL. 

Every  scrap  of  authentic  historical  information,  has  its 
value,  and  should  be  preserved.  In  this  country,  we  are 


274  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

too  negligent  of  such  things.  We  have  especially  neg 
lected  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  communications  we  might 
have  gathered  from  the  soldiers  of  the  revolution,  a  vast 
many  of  whom  have  been  able  and  willing,  (and  some  of 
whom  still  are,)  to  furnish  us  with  precious  records. 

We  notice  that  a  Mr.  Chase  has  lately  deceased  in  New 
Hampshire,  who  was  a  private  in  the  militia,  which  re 
lieved  the  Pennsylvania  line,  at  West  Point,  in  1780. 
Mr.  0.,  with  several  others,  being  off  duty,  was  on  the 
shore  of  the  Hudson  when  Arnold  deserted.  When 
Washington  assigned  him  the  command  of  West  Point, 
he  left  his  own  barge  in  his  possession.  A  temporary 
hut  was  erected  on  the  east  shore,  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  four  oarsmen  who  managed  the  barge.  On  the 
morning  of  the  desertion,  Arnold  rode  down  to  the  shore, 
from  his  head  quarters  at  Robinson's  farm,  very  fast,  as 
was  his  custom  ;  threw  the  reins  to  his  attendant,  and 
ordered  the  barge  to  be  manned.  He  then  directed  his 
course  towards  the  Point ;  but  on  reaching  the  middle  of 
the  river,  the  boat  was  observed  to  take  a  course  down 
stream,  and  move  very  swiftly  through  the  water. 

The  explanation  was  afterwards  made  by  the  boatmen. 
He  hoisted  a  flag  of  truce,  and  told  them  to  pull  for  the 
Vulture,  sloop  of  war,  which  lay  below,  saying  that  he 
had  some  business  with  the  captain,  and  promised  if  they 
would  row  him  down  to  her  as  soon  as  possible,  to  give 
them  a  guinea  and  a  gallon  of  rum  each.  On  nearing 
the  Vulture,  and  being  within  range  of  her  guns,  Arnold 
opened  his  plan,  saying,  "  I  have  served  the  ungrateful 
scoundrels  long  enough,"  and  declared  if  they  would  go 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  275 

with  him  they  should  have  double  pay,  and  be  made  ser 
geants  in  the  British  service.  One  of  the  men  replied 
that  "  he  did  not  understand  fighting  on  both  sides." 
"  Then,"  said  the  General,  "  you  are  prisoners" 

When  they  came  along  side  the  sloop  of  war,  Arnold 
ascended  the  deck,  and  was  received  by  the  marines  with 
presented  arms.  He  then  ordered  his  men  to  come  on 
board  as  prisoners  of  war.  One  of  them,  who  had  been 
their  spokesman  just  before,  said  "  it  was  a  shabby  trick, 
as  they  had  toiled  with  their  utmost  strength  to  get  the 
boat  along,  now  to  refuse  the  promised  reward,  and  make 
them  prisoners  to  boot."  The  English  captain  heard 
their  murmurs,  and  stepping  forward,  observed,  "  Gen. 
Arnold,  I  command  this  ship,  and  while  I  walk  the  quar 
ter  deck  no  such  transaction  shall  take  place.  I  know 
the  meaning  of  my  words,  sir,  and  will  meet  their  com 
ment."  Then  addressing  the  men.  he  continued,  "  my 
good  fellows,  I  respect  your  principles,  and  fidelity  to 
your  country,  although  you  are  enemies  to  your  king. 
You  shall  have  liberty  to  go,  or  stay,  as  you  please. 
Here,"  taking  them  from  his  purse,  "  are  your  guineas  : 
steward,  put  up  four  gallons  of  rum  for  these  men."  The 
boatmen  thanked  the  gallant  sailor,  and  returned  in  safety 
to  head  quarters,  to  report  their  proceedings  to  Wash 
ington,  who  had  just  arrived  in  camp.  Arnold,  enraged, 
retired  without  uttering  a  word,  to  the  cabin. 

Such  is  the  amount  of  the  statement  made  by  Mr. 
Chase,  about  a  fortnight  before  his  decease,  and  recorded 
in  the  Monthly  Visitor. 


276  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

FACTS  TO  MAKE  MEN  THINK. 


Before  the  Charleston  and  Hamburg  railroad  was 
made,  the  travel  between  those  places  was  by  stages, 
three  times  a  week,  and  averaging  about  four  passengers 
each  trip.  Now,  by  railroad,  an  average  of  fifty  per 
day,  making  a  difference  of  more  than  twenty-three  hun 
dred  per  cent ! ! ! 

The  travel  between  Baltimore  and  Washington  has 
increased,  since  the  railroad,  from  less  than  fifty,  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty  per  day,  or  upwards  of  four  hundred 
per  cent !  The  estimate  is,  when  this  road  is  completed 
to  the  Ohio,  it  will  average  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty 
passengers  per  day,  each  way ;  this  will  be  found  to  be 
a  very  low  estimate.  On  the  main  stem  of  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  road,  so  far  as  made,  the  travel  this  year  is 
double  what  it  was  the  last,  and  the  freight  has  increased 
fifty  per  cent,  in  the  same  period. 

On  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  and  canal,  the  amount 
of  tonnage  that  passed  over  the  mountains,  westward, 
between  April  23,  1835,  and  May  1 1,  1836,  a  period  of 
twelve  months  and  nineteen  days,  was  over  twenty-four 
millions  of  pounds  !  During  the  same  period,  the  trans 
portation  east  was  ten  millions  of  pounds ;  making  an 
aggregate  of  seventeen  thousand  tons.  In  addition  to 
this,  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  passen 
gers  crossed  the  mountains,  exceeding  three  hundred  per 
day,  and  three  times  the  number  that  passed  the  prece 
ding  year ! 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  277 

On  the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  railroad,  the  travel 
has  increased,  from  what  it  was  before  the  road  was 
made,  from  an  average  of  less  than  one  hundred  per  day, 
to  the  astonishing  number  of  five  hundred  thousand  in 
the  last  year,  making  an  average  of  nearly  fourteen  hun 
dred  per  day ! 

It  is  from  facts  like  these,  that  we  must  estimate  the 
profits  of  our  great  enterprise,  (the  Cincinnati  and  Charles 
ton  railroad.)  At  the  lowest  possible  estimate,  there 
will  not  be  less  than  one  hundred  passengers  per  day, 
each  way,  the  first  year,  which,  at  five  cents  per  mile, 
will  be  thirty-one  dollars  for  each  passenger,  or  six 
thousand  two  hundred  dollars  per  day,  forming  an  aggre 
gate  of  two  millions  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  dollars 
per  year.  Allow  half  this  amount  for  way  passengers, 
and  you  have  an  aggregate  of  three  millions  three  hun 
dred  and  ninety-four  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  for 
passage  money  only,  making  upwards  of  thirty  per  cent, 
on  the  whole  capital  invested,  which  may  be  taken  for 
clear  profit,  as  the  freights  will  far  more  than  pay  every 
expense. 

Pitkin  gives  the  number  of  miles  of  railroad  now  in 
operation  at  sixteen  hundred,  and  the  cost  at  thirty  mil 
lions  of  dollars.  The  number  of  miles  of  canal  now  in 
operation  is  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-seven, 
at  a  cost  of  sixty-four  millions  five  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  thousand  and  ninety-nine  dollars. 

VOL.  I.  24 


278  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 


FIRST  CELEBRATION  OF  AMERICAN  INDEPENDENCE. 

The  following  account  of  the  first  celebration  of  our 
country's  independence,  is  copied  from  "  Thomas'  Mas 
sachusetts  Spy"  and  cannot  fail  to  be  read  with  interest 
by  every  patriot  at  the  present  period.  The  way  they 
did  things,  in  the  olden  time,  was  the  right  way.  When 
this  celebration  took  place,  the  battle  was  yet  to  be 
fought  and  won ;  yet,  with  halters  round  their  necks, 
like  St.  Pierre  and  his  immortal  followers,  they  did  it 
manfully  and  unflinchingly.  I  wonder  how  many  of  that 
breed  can  be  found  at  Washington,  when  congress  is  in 
session,  about  these  times  ? 

Boston,  July  25,  1776. 

Thursday  last,  pursuant  to  the  order  of  the  honorable 
council,  was  proclaimed  from  the  balcony  of  the  State 
House  in  this  town,  the  DECLARATION  of  the  AMERICAN 
CONGRESS,  absolving  the  United  Colonies  from  their  alle 
giance  to  the  British  crown,  and  declaring  them  FREE 
and  INDEPENDENT  STATES.  There  were  present  on  the 
occasion,  in  the  council  chamber,  the  committee  of  coun 
cil,  a  number  of  the  honorable  house  of  representatives, 
the  magistrates,  ministers,  selectmen,  and  other  gentlemen 
of  Boston  and  the  neighboring  towns  ;  also  the  commis 
sioned  officers  of  the  Continental  regiments  stationed  here, 
and  other  officers.  Two  of  those  regiments  were  under 
arms  in  King  street,  formed  into  three  lines  on  the  north 
side  of  the  street,  and  in  thirteen  divisions  ;  and  a  detach- 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  279 

ment  from  the  Massachusetts  regiment  of  artillery,  with 
two  pieces  of  cannon,  was  on  their  right  wing. 

At  one  o'clock,  the  declaration  was  proclaimed  by 
Col.  Thomas  Crafts,  which  was  received  with  great  joy, 
expressed  by  the  huzzas  from  a  concourse  of  people 
assembled  on  the  occasion.  After  which,  on  a  signal, 
thirteen  pieces  of  cannon  fired  from  the  fort  on  Fort 
Hill ;  the  forts  at  Dorchester  neck,  the  Castle,  Nantasket, 
and  Point  Alderson,  likewise  discharged  their  cannon. 
Then  the  detachment  of  artillery  fired  their  cannon  thir 
teen  times,  which  was  followed  by  the  two  regiments 
giving  their  fire  from  the  thirteen  divisions  in  succession. 
These  firings  corresponded  to  the  number  of  American 
States  united.  The  ceremony  was  closed  with  a  proper 
collation  to  the  gentlemen  in  the  council  chamber ;  during 
which  a  number  of  toasts  were  given  by  the  president  of 
the  council,  and  heartily  pledged  by  the  company. 

The  bells  in  town  were  rung  on  the  occasion ;  and 
undissembled  festivity  cheered  and  brightened  every  face. 

On  the  same  evening,  the  King's  arms  and  every  sign 
with  any  resemblance  of  it,  whether  Lion  and  Crown, 
Pestle  and  Mortar,  and  Crown,  Hare  and  Crown,  &c., 
together  with  every  sign  that  belonged  to  a  tory,  were% 
taken  down,  and  the  latter  made  a  general  conflagration 
of  in  King  street. 


280  REMINISCENCES     OF    THE 

AWFUL  STEAMBOAT  DISASTER. 

Yesterday  afternoon,  between  five  and  six  o'clock,  the 
most  shocking  occurrence  I  was  ever  called  upon  to 
record,  took  place  in  this  city.  The  new  and  elegant 
steam  boat  MOSELLE,  Captain  Perin,  left  the  wharf,  bound 
to  St.  Louis.  She  had  on  board  then  upwards  of  two 
hundred  passengers.  This  is  the  opinion  of  those  who 
were  present,  and  had  the  best  opportunity  of  knowing, 
from  their  constant  attention  on  the  wharf,  and  habitual 
intercourse  with  the  boats  coming  to  it.  She  passed 
rapidly  up  the  river,  to  near  the  corporation  line,  where 
lay  several  rafts  loaded  with  emigrants,  whom  she  took 
on  board. 

The  rafts,  and  the  neighboring  shore  and  street,  were 
covered  with  people ;  many  of  whom  were  drawn  there 
by  curiosity,  others  to  take  farewell  of  their  departing 
friends.  The  moment  they  were  all  on  board,  with  their 
effects,  and  while  the  kiss  of  affection  was  yet  warm  upon 
their  lips,  and  the  closely  pressed  hand  had  not  yet 
recovered  from  the  pressure  it  received  at  parting,  the 
boat  blew  up,  and  in  a  moment,  not  less  than  two  hundred 
souls  were  ushered  into  eternity,  while  others,  horribly 
scalded  and  mangled,  survived  to  die  a  lingering  death. 

At  five  o'clock  this  morning,  I  went  to  view  the  scene 
of  destruction  and  horror.  I  saw  the  mangled  remains 
of  from  fifteen  to  twenty,  and  spent  an  hour  in  learning 
from  the  neighbors  such  particulars  as  they  witnessed 
themselves.  A  young  woman  who  saw  the  explosion, 
in  common  with  many  others,  remarked  that  "  it  rained 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  28 1 

human  bodies,  and  fragments  of  bodies.1"  Some  were 
blown  to  the  distance  of  two  and  three  hundred  feet, 
while  others  fell  near  the  spot  from  whence  they  ascend 
ed  ;  one  fell  upon  the  roof  of  a  house,  which  he  passed 
through  until  stopped  by  his  shoulders  ;  he  was  not  quite 
dead  when  he  was  removed,  but  died  in  a  few  minutes. 
Captain  Perm,  and  nearly  all  the  officers  of  the  boat,  are 
among  the  victims. 

I  never  saw  before  such  an  illustration  of  the  power  of 
steam  ;  a  part  of  one  of  the  boilers  was  thrown  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  yards,  and  crushed  the  pavement  where 
it  fell  ;  another  large  piece  of  a  boiler  was  thrown  against 
a  building  on  the  hill  side,  back  of  a  tan-yard,  and  not 
less  than  two  hundred  yards  from  the  boat  —  it  totally 
demolished  the  gable  end  of  the  building  ;  another  heavy 
piece  fell  about  fifty  feet  from  the  building,  near  a  vat, 
where  five  men  were  at  work  a  few  minutes  before. 
Numerous  instances  are  mentioned  of  the  distance  to 
which  things  were  thrown,  which  would  surpass  belief, 
but  for  the  known  veracity  of  those  who  saw  them. 

When  the  explosion  took  place,  many  who  were  on 
the  hurricane  deck  ran  aft  and  jumped  into  the  river,  and 
were  drowned.  An  old  lady,  who  was  in  the  ladies' 
cabin,  with  whom  I  have  conversed,  says  she  was  thrown 
down,  and  the  partition  between  the  two  cabins  fell  upon 
her,  which  saved  her ;  her  son  perished,  and  she  lost  all 
her  effects.  She  remarked,  she  could  not  realize  it ;  and 
it  was  evident,  from  her  conversation,  that  she  did  not. 

Having  progressed  thus  far,  I  went  out  to  see  if  I  could 
not  learn  some  further  particulars.  All  I  have  been  able 


282  REMINISCENCES    OF    THE 

to  add,  is  that  a  dead  body  has  been  found  in  Kentucky, 
having  been  blown  the  entire  breadth  of  the  river.  It 
was  remarked  to  me,  by  numbers  of  those  who  saw  it, 
that  great  as  were  the  fragments  of  human  bodies,  as 
well  as  of  the  boat  and  her  cargo,  that  fell  on  the  shore, 
they  were  trifling,  when  compared  with  those  that  fell  in 
the  river. 

The  whole  number  on  board,  as  returned  by  the  survi 
ving  clerk,  was  two  hundred  and  eighty ;  but  there  were 
others  taken  on  board  here,  of  whom  there  was  no 
account. 

Cincinnati,  April  26,  1838. 


The  following  description  of  the  Battle  of  Princeton, 
by  one  who  was  in  it,  a  Sergeant  of  the  New  Jersey- 
Blues,  has  recently  made  its  appearance  in  the  "  Newark 
Daily  Advertiser."  It  is  a  most  interesting  reminiscence. 
In  it  may  again  be  seen  the  wisdom  of  Washington, 
directed  by  the  hand  of  Providence.  The  worn  out  vet 
erans  at  first  refused  the  solicitations  of  their  beloved 
commander,  but  when  he  returned  and  entreated  them, 
pointing  out  to  them  their  country's  distressed  situation, 
the  brave  patriots  could  no  longer  stand  it,  but  gave  up 
their  anticipated  homes,  and  fireside  enjoyments,  for  their 
country's  safety.  They  fought,  and  conquered.  It  was 
this  victory,  and  that  of  Trenton,  which  immediately  pre 
ceded  it,  which  raised  the  drooping  spirits  of  the  people, 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  283 

then  sinking  in  dismay,  and  gave  an  impetus  to  the  next 
campaign.  Let  it  never  be  forgotten,  that  it  was  pur 
chased  with  the  blood  of  those  brave  volunteers.  Here 
follows  the  heart-thrilling  account :  — 


BATTLE  OF  PRINCETON. 

BY    A    SERGEANT. 

Three,  or  four  days  after  the  victory  at  Trenton,  the 
American  army  re-crossed  the  Delaware  into  New 
Jersey. 

At  this  time,  our  troops  were  in  a  destitute  and  deplo 
rable  condition.  The  horses  attached  to  our  cannon, 
were  without  shoes  ;  and  when  passing  over  the  ice,  they 
would  slide  in  every  direction,  and  could  advance  only 
by  the  assistance  of  the  soldiers.  Our  men,  too,  were 
without  shoes,  or  other  comfortable  clothing  ;  and  as 
traces  of  our  march  towards  Princeton,  the  ground  was 
literally  marked  with  the  blood  of  the  soldiers'  feet. — 
Though  my  own  feet  did  not  bleed,  they  were  so  sore 
that  their  condition  was  little  better. 

While  we  were  at  Trenton,  on  the  last  of  December 
1776,  the  time  for  which  I,  and  the  most  of  my  regiment 
had  enlisted,  expired.  At  this  trying  moment,  General 
Washington,  having  but  a  handful  of  men,  and  many  of 
them  new  recruits,  in  which  he  could  place  but  little  con 
fidence,  ordered  our  regiment  to  be  paraded,  and  person 
ally  addressed  us,  urging  that  we  should  stay  a  month 
longer.  He  alluded  to  our  recent  victory  at  Trenton  — 
told  us  that  our  services  were  greatly  needed,  and 


284  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

that  we  could  do  more  for  our  country  than  we  ever 
could  at  any  future  period  —  and  in  the  most  affection 
ate  manner  entreated  us  to  stay.  The  drums  were  beat 
for  volunteers,  but  net  a  man  turned  out.  The  sol 
diers,  worn  down  with  fatigue  and  privations,  had  their 
hearts  fixed  on  home,  and  the  comforts  of  the  domestic 
circle,  and  it  was  hard  to  forego  the  anticipated  pleasure 
of  the  society  of  our  dearest  friends. 

The  General  wheeled  his  horse  about,  rode  through  in 
front  of  the  regiment,  and  addressing  us  again,  said,  "  My 
brave  fellows,  you  have  done  all  I  ever  asked  you  to  do, 
and  more  than  could  be  reasonably  expected  ;  but  your 
country  is  at  stake,  your  wives,  your  houses,  and  all  you 
hold  dear.  You  have  worn  yourselves  out  with  fatigues 
and  hardships,  but  we  know  not  how  to  spare  you.  If 
you  will  consent  to  stay  only  one  month  longer,  you  will 
render  that  service  to  the  cause  of  Liberty,  and  to  your 
country,  which  you  probably  never  can  do  under  any 
circumstances.  The  present,  is  emphatically  the  crisis, 
which  is  to  decide  our  destiny."  The  drums  beat  the 
second  time.  The  soldiers  felt  the  force  of  the  appeal. 
One  said  to  another,  I  will  remain  if  you  will.  Others 
remarked,  we  cannot  go  home  under  such  circumstances. 
A  few  stepped  forth,  and  their  example  was  immediately 
followed  by  nearly  all  who  were  fit  for  duty  in  the  regi 
ment,  amounting  in  all  to  about  two  hundred  volunteers.* 
An  officer  enquired  of  the  General  if  these  men  should 

*  About  half  of  these  volunteers  were  killed  in  the  battle  of  Princeton, 
or  died  of  the  small  pox  soon  after. 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  285 

be  enrolled.  He  replied,  "  No  !  Men  who  will  volun 
teer  in  such  a  case  as  this,  need  no  enrollment  to  keep 
them  to  their  duty." 

When  we  were  about  commencing  our  march  for 
Princeton,  Lord  Cornwallis  left  that  place  with  the  inten 
tion  of  attacking,  and  at  one  blow  cutting  off  the  rebel 
army.  He  appeared  near  Trenton,  at  Wood  creek,  or 
the  Assumpsit  river,  where  a  skirmish  took  place  at  a 
bridge  over  the  creek.  The  Hessians  were  placed  in 
front  of  the  British  army,  and  endeavored  to  force  the 
bridge.  They  were  repulsed  and  driven  back,  three 
times,  by  the  American  cannon.  The  Hessians  were 
pushed  on  by  the  British  commanders,  and  were  cut 
down,  until  the  dead  lay  in  heaps  by  the  bridge.  They 
retired,  and  we  were  left  undisturbed  for  the  night. 

Leaving  our  fires  kindled,  to  deceive  the  enemy,  we 
decamped  that  night,  and  by  a  circuitous  route,  took  up 
our  March  for  Princeton.  General  Mercer  commanded 
the  front  guard,  of  which  the  two  hundred  volunteers 
composed  a  part.  About  sunrise,  on  the  morning  of  the 
3d  of  January,  1777,  reaching  the  summit  of  a  hill,  near 
Princeton,  we  observed  a  light  horseman  looking  towards 
us,  as  we  view  an  object  when  the  rising  sun  shines  di 
rectly  in  our  face.  General  Mercer,  observing  him,  gave 
orders  to  the  riflemen  to  pick  him  off.  Several  made 
ready,  but  at  that  instant  he  wheeled  about  out  of  our 
reach. 

Soon  after,  as  we  were  descending  a  hill  through  an 
orchard,  a  part  of  the  enemy,  who  were  entrenched 
behind  a  bank  and  furze,  rose  and  fired  upon  us.  Their 


286  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

first  shot  passed  over  our  heads,  cutting  the  limbs  of  the 
trees  under  which  we  were  marching.  At  this  moment 
we  were  ordered  to  wheel.  As  the  platoon  which  I 
commanded  were  obeying  the  order,  the  corporal  \vho 
stood  at  my  left  shoulder,  received  a  ball  and  fell  dead  on 
the  spot.  He  seemed  to  bend  forward  to  receive  the 
ball,  which  might  have  otherwise  ended  my  life.  We 
formed,  advanced,  and  fired  upon  the  enemy.  They 
retreated  about  eight  rods  to  their  packs,  which  were 
laid  in  a  line.  I  advanced  to  the  fence  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  ditch,  which  the  enemy  had  just  left,  fell  on 
one  knee,  and  loaded  my  musket  with  ball  and  buck  shot. 
Our  fire  was  most  destructive :  their  ranks  grew  thin, 
and  the  victory  seemed  nearly  complete,  when  the  British 
were  reinforced.  Many  of  our  brave  men  had  fallen, 
and  we  were  unable  to  withstand  much  superior  num 
bers  of  fresh  troops. 

I  soon  heard  General  Mercer  command,  in  a  tone  of 
distress,  "Retreat."  He  was  mortally  wounded,  and 
died  shortly  afterwards.  I  looked  about  for  the  main 
body  of  the  army,  which  I  could  not  discover.  I  dis 
charged  my  musket  at  a  part  of  the  enemy,  and  ran  for 
a  piece  of  woods,  at  a  little  distance,  where  I  thought  I 
might  find  shelter.  At  this  moment  Washington  ap 
peared  in  front  of  the  American  army,  riding  towards 
those  of  us  who  were  retreating,  and  exclaimed,  "  Parade 
with  us,  my  brave  fellows ;  there  is  but  a  handful  of  the 
enemy,  and  we  will  have  them  directly."  I  immediately 
joined  the  main  body,  and  marched  over  the  ground 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  287 

O,  the  barbarity  of  man  !  On  our  retreat  we  had  left 
a  comrade  of  ours,  whose  name  was  Loomis,  from  Leb 
anon,  Ct.,  whose  leg  was  broken  by  a  musket  ball,  under 
a  cart  in  a  yard  ;  but  on  our  return  he  was  dead,  having 
received  seven  wounds  from  a  British  bayonet !  My 
old  associates  were  scattered  about,  groaning,  dying  and 
dead.  One  officer  who  was  shot  from  his  horse  lay  in  a 
hollow  place  in  the  ground,  rolling  and  writhing  in  his 
own  blood,  unconscious  of  any  thing  around  him.  The 
ground  was  frozen,  and  all  the  blood  that  was  shed,  re 
mained  on  the  surface,  which  added  to  the  horror  of  this 
scene  of  carnage. 

The  British  were  unable  to  resist  this  attack,  and  re 
treated  into  the  College,  where  they  considered  them 
selves  safe.  Our  army  was  there  in  an  instant,  and  can 
nons  were  before  the  door,  and  after  two  or  three  dis 
charges,  a  white  flag  appeared  at  a  window,  when  the 
British  surrendered.  They  were  a  haughty,  crabbed 
set  of  men,  as  they  fully  exhibited  while  prisoners  on 
their  march  to  the  country.  In  this  battle,  my  pack, 
which  was  made  fast  by  leather  strings  was,  as  I  sup 
pose,  shot  from  my  back,  and  with  it  went  all  the  little 
clothing  I  had  ;  it  was  soon,  however,  replaced  by  one 
which  had  belonged  to  a  British  officer,  and  was  well 
furnished. 


288  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 


SOCIETIES. 

Written,  August,  1837. 

There  are  more  societies  for  various  purposes,  in  the 
United  States,  than  in  all  Europe  put  together.  Yet 
there  is  one  wanting,  which,  before  the  existence  of  the 
present  innumerable  host  of  incorporated  ones,  had  an 
existence,  by  common  consent,  without  being  incorpo 
rated,  and  was  as  extensive  as  the  Union ;  its  utility  was 
admitted  by  all ;  its  good  effects  were  felt  through  all  the 
ramifications  of  the  body  politic,  and  none  could  be 
found  who  had  ought  to  say  against  it.  It  was  indeed  a 
most  excellent,  a  most  useful  institution,  co-existent  and 
co-extensive  with  the  institutions  of  our  country,  and  in 
terwoven  with  its  government ;  yet  has  it  been  compel 
led  to  give  place  to  the  thousands  that  now  overrun  the 
land  like  locusts,  and  eat  out  our  subsistence,  devouring 
the  bread  that  should  be  given  to  the  hungry,  and  the 
clothing  that  should  cover  the  naked  ;  leaving  the  one  to 
perish  with  hunger,  the  other  with  cold.  This  de 
sideratum  —  this  Society  of  all  others  most  to  be  de 
sired,  is  an  —  Every-one-mind-his-own-business-Society. 
What  incalculable  good  would  be  derived  from  the 
establishment  of  such  an  order  of  things?  I  remember 
well  its  former  existence,  and  its  good  effects ;  then 
order,  morals,  and  pure  and  undefiled  religion  bore  sway ; 
then,  as  in  the  golden  days  of  good  Queen  Bess, 

"  The  people  every  Sunday  went  twice,  at  least,  to  church, 
And  they  seldom  left  the  parson  or  the  sermon  in  the  lurch ;" 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  289 

while  the  other  six  days  of  the  week  were  devoted  to 
honest  labor  and  innocent  and  necessary  recreation ; 
then  this  never-ending  list  of  Societies  had  no  existence ; 
then  the  soul  and  the  body  were  both  administered  to  by 
those  whose  business  it  was  to  attend  to  it ;  in  the  former 
case  it  devolved  upon  the  worthy  and  pious  minister  of 
the  Gospel,  and  was  done  without  ostentation  or  parade 
in  the  purity  of  his  master's  principles ;  in  the  latter 
case  it  was  the  duty,  because  it  was  the  business,  of  all 
to  see  that  their  neighbors  did  not  want  that  which  was 
necessary  for  their  meat,  drink,  or  clothing.  If  a  man's 
house  was  burnt  and  he  was  not  able  to  build  another, 
his  neighbors  did  it  for  him  ;  if  he  was  sick  at  the  plant 
ing  season,  his  neighbors  assembled  and  planted  his  corn 
for  him,  and  attended  it  through  the  season  even  unto 
harvest  home. 

In  New  England,  the  land  of  my  fathers,  and  home  of 
my  birth,  I  have  witnessed  numerous  instances  of  benevo 
lence  of  this  kind,  and  to  this  extent ;  they  never  stopped 
to  enquire  to  what  sect  a  man  belonged  —  it  was  enough 
to  know  that  he  was  a  man,  and  in  want  of  the  aid  of  his 
fellows.  True,  our  population  has  doubled,  nearly  tre 
bled,  since  the  time  I  allude  to,  while  crime  has  increased 
more  than  a  thousand  fold  ;  then  the  murder  of  an  indi 
vidual  rung  through  the  land,  and  echoed  and  re-echoed 
from  hill  to  vale  ;  now  the  accounts  of  murders  for  the 
last  three  weeks  have  averaged  more  than  two  a  day,  ex 
clusive  of  the  Vicksburgh  tragedy  and  the  executions  in 
other  parts  of  Mississippi,  and  few  of  them  receive  even 
a  passing  notice,  while  many  are  committed  with  impu- 

VOL.  I.  25 


290  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

nity  ;  then,  men  went  to  the  fountain  for  their  religion  ; 
now  they  get  it  from  the  impure  rivulets  which  meander 
through  the  columns  of  a  sectarian  newspaper  ;  then  men 
attended  the  temples  dedicated  to  the  Most  High,  to  hear 
the  Gospel  preached  in  the  same  purity  as  in  the  days 
of  the  Apostles  ;  now  to  hear  sermons  reviling  all  other 
sects  than  that  to  which  the  preacher  himself  belongs  ; 
then  if  a  man  wanted  a  Bible  he  purchased  it  at  the  first 
bookstore  he  came  to  ;  now  he  must  purchase  it  of  a 
brother,  that  is,  one  of  the  same  sect  with  himself;  then 
his  charities  were  co-extensive  with  the  needy  ;  now  they 
are  too  often  limited  to  his  own  sect. 

And  now,  I  will  ask,  what  have  we  gained  by  these 
changes  which  have  cost  so  many  millions,  while  tens  of 
thousands  of  deserving  poor  have  wanted  both  food  and 
raiment  ?  The  subject  is  endless. 


COMMERCE  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY. 

\\ritten  May,  1835. 

How  few,  how  very  few,  even  of  those  who  assist  in 
carrying  it  on,  have  any  idea  of  the  extent  of  this  vast 
trade,  which  can  only  be  known  in  part  to  the  closest 
observer  and  most  indefatigable  inquirer;  and  this  must 
ever  be  the  case,  until  legal  requirements  shall  compel 
the  owners  of  flat  and  keel  boats  to  report  manifests  of 
their  cargoes. 

During  a  trip  of  seven  weeks  to  New  Orleans  last 
fall,  six  of  which  were  spent  upon  the  river,  I  made  some 


LAST      SIXTY-FIVE      YEARS.  291 

remarks  upon  the  commerce  which  was  continually  pass 
ing  in  my  view.  During  eight  days  in  the  month  of 
November,  that  the  boat,  on  which  I  was,  lay  upon  the 
rocks,  near  Shawnee  town,  the  average  number  of  flat 
boats  that  passed  us  in  day-light,  each  day,  was  twenty- 
five  —  their  average  burthen  from  five  to  six  hundred 
barrels.  Their  cargoes  were  various,  although  the  greater 
part,  at  that  season,  were  loaded  with  flour,  whiskey,  and 
corn :  still  there  were  many  with  cattle,  sheep,  horses, 
mules,  lumber,  &c.  &c.  &c. ;  the  pork,  bacon  and  lard 
trade  had  not  then  commenced. 

On  coming  up  the  river,  two  or  three  weeks  after,  it 
occurred  to  me,  on  leaving  Memphis,  at  eight  o'clock 
A.  M.,  that  I  would  count  the  flat  boats  I  saw  descend 
ing  during  the  day  —  at  five  o'clock  P.  M.,  a  period  of 
nine  hours,  I  had  noticed  sixty.  No  account  was  kept 
during  the  night,  but  the  pilot  counted  upwards  of  twenty 
lying  in-shore  at  one  place,  and  twelve  were  counted  at 
another.  The  next  day,  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  I  noticed 
seventy-seven,  after  which  I  took  no  particular  account 
of  them. 

The  passage  from  New  Orleans  to  Louisville  was 
twelve  days,  which  is  about  an  average  one.  Here, 
then,  estimating  the  boats  at  seventy-five  per  day  only, 
(including  those  passed  in  the  night,)  which  is  certainly 
within  the  number,  you  have  nine  hundred  vessels,  which, 
at  only  five  hundred  barrels  each,  give  a  grand  aggregate 

Of  FOUR  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  THOUSAND  BARRELS,  all  Oil 

their  way  to  market  at  once. 

But  this  is  only  a  part  of  this  immense  commerce. 


292  REMINISCENCES      OF      THE 

There  passed  on  their  way  to  New  Orleans,  during  the 
same  period,  nearly  every  first  and  second  rate  steam 
boat  (as  to  size)  upon  the  western  waters  —  those  belong 
ing  to  the  Mississippi,  the  Tennessee,  and  the  Cumber 
land,  laden  with  cotton,  to  an  extent,  in  many  instances, 
of  from  two  to  three  thousand  bales  each ;  while  those 
out  of  the  Ohio  were  laden  with  the  various  products  of 
the  rich  vales  of  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Indiana,  and  Illinois, 
forming  an  immense  aggregate  of  wealth,  the  whole  of 
which  passed  from  its  place  of  shipment  to  its  destined 
mart  in  the  short  period  of  forty  days,  and  much  more 
than  half  of  it  in  less  than  half  that  time  !  Yet  this  trade 
is  carried  on  for  six  months  in  the  year,  and  during  nearly 
the  whole  year  at  a  more  limited  extent. 

If  from  the  past  and  the  present  we  are  to  judge  of 
the  future,  what  may  we  not  anticipate  in  another  twenty 
years  only,  for  the  amount  of  the  products  and  commerce 
of  this  great  valley!  Then,  indeed,  may  our  poets  sing* 

"  A  clime  whose  rich  vales  feed  the  marts  of  the  world." 

But  if  we  extend  our  views  forward  to  fifty  years 
hence,  the  subject  seems  too  great  for  the  grasp  of  mind, 
and  only  to  be  encompassed  by  imagination  —  yet  there 
are  many  thousands  now  in  existence,  who  will  live  to 
witness  it. 

I  have  given  the  facts  in  this  article,  to  endeavor  to 
draw  the  attention  of  those  to  the  subject,  who  have  such 
frequent,  and  better  opportunities  of  doing  it  greater 
justice  than  any  that  I  was  presented  with.  Passengers, 
and  men  of  intelligence  acting  as  officers  on  board  steam 
boats,  would  be  rendering  a  valuable  service  to  the  public, 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  293 

by  furnishing  such  statistical  facts  on  this  important  sub 
ject,  as  their  leisure  and  opportunities  so  frequently  afford 
them  the  means  of  acquiring. 


BREAD  STUFFS. 

Written  March,  1837. 

Much  has  been  written,  and  much  more  said,  about  the 
want  of  bread  stuffs  in  the  United  States.  There  is  no 
such  want,  nor  has  there  been,  as  I  will  show  to  the  sat 
isfaction  of  every  one  in  the  least  acquainted  with  the 
subject.  True,  there  has  been  a  large  quantity  of  grain 
imported  into  the  United  States,  not  because  there  was 
not  enough  raised  at  home  for  consumption,  but  because 
of  its  very  low  price  in  Europe  ;  wheat  is  bought  at 
Odessa,  for  fifty  cents,  and  at  Dantzick  for  fifty-five  cents 
per  bushel,  thus  affording  a  great  profit  to  the  importer. 

There  has  been,  since  the  last  year's  harvest,  about 
half  a  million  of  bushels  imported,  and  before  the  next 
harvest  it  will  probably  amount  to  a  million  —  say  a 
million  —  that  would  make  two  hundred  thousand  barrels 
of  flour,  at  the  usual  allowance  of  five  bushels  to  the  bar 
rel,  and  that  quantity  will  furnish  bread  to  seven  millions 
and  a  half  of  people,  for  five  days  and  four  hours !  I  am 
thus  particular,  to  place  in  the  most  prominent  point  of 
view,  the  absurd  idea  that  our  last  year's  crop  was  not 
equal  to  the  consumption  of  the  country  ;  yet  the  whole 
amount  of  importations  to  this  time,  is  only  equal  to  two 

25* 


294  REMINISCENCES      OP      THE 

day's  and  a  half  consumption ;  and  the  price  of  flour  has 
fallen,  and  is  falling,  in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Balti 
more,  Alexandria,  New  Orleans,  and  Cincinnati,  besides 
numerous  other  places  of  less  note. 

The  population  of  the  United  States  is  about  sixteen 
millions  —  say  fifteen ;  one  half  of  those  use  no  wheat 
bread,  but  make  use  of  rye  and  corn.  There  are,  then, 
seven  millions  and  a  half  of  our  people,  who  eat  bread 
made  from  wheat ;  a  barrel  of  flour  is  barely  sufficient 
for  ten  persons,  of  all  ages,  for  one  month ;  this  every 
house  keeper  knows,  or  ought  to  know. 

The  annual  consumption  of  the  United  States,  on  the 
rule  laid  down,  of  a  barrel  of  flour  per  month  for  every 
ten  persons,  which  long  experience  teaches  us  is  true, 
amounts  to  nine  millions  nine  hundred  and  ninety  thou 
sand  barrels  per  annum,  for  half  our  population,  or  seven 
millions  and  a  half  of  people.  I  have  thus,  I  think,  shown 
that  a  bountiful  Providence  sends  us  plenty,  but  the  spec 
ulator  deprives  us  of  the  enjoyment  of  it. 

While  on  this  subject,  I  cannot  forbear  to  mention  the 
fact,  that  in  New  York,  the  other  day,  a  mother  and  three 
children  had  nearly  died  of  starvation ;  one  child  died, 
and  the  others  were  with  difficulty  and  great  care  recov 
ered.  In  Philadelphia,  last  week,  a  mother  and  child 
starved  to  death !  Add  to  this,  there  are  tens  of  thou 
sands  who  do  not  get  half  enough  to  eat,  in  this  land  of 
plenty  and  of  Christians,  as  we  call  ourselves,  although, 
we  are  free  to  confess,  that  letting  our  fellow  creatures 
perish  for  want  of  food,  is  rather  an  odd  way  of  display 
ing  the  practical  part  of  the  character.  But,  never  mind, 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE    YEARS.  295 

we  will  all  make  fortunes  by  speculation,  and  then  we 
will  give  something  to  the  poor,  if  they  have  not  all  star 
ved  to  death  in  the  mean  time. 


EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 

Written  August,  1837. 

The  public  will  rejoice  to  learn  that  this  great  national 
enterprise  has  arrived  safe  at  New  York,  after  enduring 
great  sufferings,  and  unparalleled  hardships  for  two  years, 
in  exploring  the  numerous  Creeks,  Inlets,  and  Duck- 
ponds,  between  the  entrance  to  Chesapeake  Bay  and  Old 
Point  Comfort. 

I  rejoice  to  learn  that  my  old  friend,  Commodore 
Jones,  his  officers  and  crew,  are  all  in  good  health,  con 
sidering  the  extreme  severity  of  the  service  they  have 
been  engaged  in.  It  is  expected  that  the  squadron  will 
winter  in  New  York,  and  great  hopes  are  entertained 
that  they  will  be  so  far  recovered  from  their  fatigues  by 
next  spring,  as  to  enable  them  to  return  to  their  old 
cruising  grounds  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  I  may,  on 
another  occasion,  give  some  account  of  the  valuable  and 
interesting  discoveries  made  during  their  explorations, 
but  at  present,  I  am  so  overcome  with  joy  on  their  safe 
arrival,  that  I  am  by  no  means  prepared  to  do  justice  to 
the  value  and  importance  of  their  discoveries  ;  yet  I  cannot 
forbear  to  mention  some  of  the  most  important ;  and  first, 
it  has  been  discovered  that  Canvass  back  Ducks  and 


296  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

York  River  Oysters,  afford  better  aliment  on  such  trying 
occasions,  than  Salt  Junk  and  Hard  Bread;  and  what  adds 
greatly  to  the  importance  of  this  discovery,  it  is  understood 
that  the  medical  faculty  attached  to  the  expedition,  who 
are  seldom  behind-hand  on  these  occasions,  have  discov 
ered  that  straw-colored  Madeira  and  Champagne  assist 
greatly  in  promoting  the  digestion  of  the  Ducks  and  Oys 
ters  aforesaid. 

Happy  people  !  where  adventurous  daring,  and  the 
most  useful  science,  are  thus  brought  to  administer  to 
your  national  glory ;  let  a  monument  of  brick-bats  be 
raised  to  your  administration,  and  your  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  be  rewarded  with  a  leather  medal ! 


THINGS  BY  THEIR  RIGHT  NAMES, 

OR  THE   TWENTY-FIFTH    CONGRESS. 

Written  March,  1838. 

Whose  political  existence  expired  on  the  3d  inst,  has 
been  a  disgrace  to  the  country,  and  were  it  not  for  a 
few,  a  very  few,  individuals,  it  would  be  beneath  con 
tempt.  One  of  its  most  distinguished  members  declared 
in  this  city,  last  week,  that  he  had  seen  and  kept  much 
bad  company  in  his  life,  but  that  it  was  all  good,  com 
pared  with  what  he  met  with  among  members  of  Con 
gress,  at  Washington,  and  that  nothing  could  induce  him 
to  return  there.  Men,  who,  at  home,  particularly  while 
engaged  in  soliciting  the  dear  peoples'  votes,  support  de- 


LAST     SIXTY-FIVE     YEARS.  297 

cent  characters  ;  but  no  sooner  do  they  find  themselves 
in  Congress,  than  the  mask  is  thrown  off ;  and  he  whose 
morals  would  not  permit  him  to  visit  a  theatre,  or  attend 
a  ball,  or  go  to  a  horse-race,  or  enter  a  coffee-house,  to 
take  a  glass  of  something  to  drink,  at  home,  may  there  be 
successfully  looked  for  at  a  brothel,  a  gaming  house,  or  a 
"  gr°ggerv ;"  and  this  has  been,  and  will  continue  to  be 
the  case,  while  candidates  are  taken  up,  and  supported, 
with  a  single  reference  to  their  party  politics,  as  has  been, 
and  still  is,  the  case.  Look  to  your  candidates  ;  look  to 
their  habits  —  if  they  are  those  of  industry  and  business 
men,  then  look  to  the  motive  which  actuates  them  to  wish 
to  leave  those  habits,  and  that  business,  to  seek  a  seat  in 
Congress,  —  "  you  will  find  a  lurking  devil  there."  The 
motive  is  seen  only  by  a  few,  and  those  few  must  be  men 
of  close  observation  ;  but  it  is  those  motives  which  govern 
the  successful  candidate  entirely,  on  taking  his  seat  in 
Congress.  The  motive  of  some,  and  not  a  few,  is  office- 
seeking — hence  so  many,  on  gaining  a  seat,  devote  them 
selves  to  the  administration,  right  or  wrong,  as  the  foun 
tain  from  whence  office  flows.  The  motive,  in  others, 
is  to  show  off  a  handsome  wife,  or  daughter  —  an  exhibi 
tion  which  does  not  always  end  felicitously.  The  gov 
erning  motive  in  others,  and  a  large  number  too,  is  to  get 
where  they  can  indulge  their  depraved  appetites  for  the 
most  prominent  vices,  without  being  in  danger  of  being 
called  to  account  by  the  moral  sense  of  the  community  in 
which  they  are,  or  loosing  their  places  in  the  front  rank 
of  society.  The  citizens  of  Washington  are  not  to  be 
blamed  for  this ;  they  all  live  directly,  or  indirectly,  out 


298  REMINISCENCES     OF     THE 

of  the  public  crib,  and  it  cannot  be  expected  of  them  that 
they  will  be  otherwise  than  blind  to  the  errors  of  those 
who  have  charge  of  the  provender.  What  press,  in 
Washington,  has  ever  held  up,  for  scorn  to  point  her  fin 
ger  at,  the  vile  misdeeds  of  members  of  Congress,  further 
than  as  relates  to  party  politics  ?  None  :  it  is  not  to  be 
expected  of  them.  There  are  those  who  accept,  (not 
seek,)  a  seat  in  Congress,  to  render  service  to  their  coun 
try.  True,  that,  "  like  angel's  visits,  they  are  few,  and 
far  between  ;"  still  there  are  such  —  and  when  I  name 
Elisha  Whittlesey,  Asher  Robbins,  Hugh  L.  White,  and 
such  as  they,  the  truth  of  the  assertion  will  not  be  called 
in  question.  They,  and  the  few  that  are  like  them,  are 
the  salt,  without  which,  Congress  would  become  one  pu 
trid  mass  of  moral  and  pestilential  corruption ;  and  it  is 
a  lamentable  circumstance,  that  all  three  of  those  I  have 
named,  have  closed  their  legislative  duties  with  the  ses 
sion  that  has  just  ended  ;  so  that  we  have  only  to  hope, 
that  among  the  new  members  that  will  have  places  in  the 
next  Congress,  some  may  be  found,  not  only  able,  but 
willing,  to  fill  their  places  —  there  are  plenty  that  are 
able,  but  few  that  are  willing.  It  requires  industry,  and 
business  habits. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  by  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  that  at  an  extra  session  of  the  late  Congress,  when 
temperance  and  temperance  societies  were  'making  a 
great  noise,  that  august  body  passed  a  "  Resolution"  that 
no  more  spirituous  liquors  should  be  vended  in  the  "  grog- 
geries"  in  the  basement  story  of  the  Capitol.  This  rung 
through  the  land.  "  O,  what  a  wise  Congress — what  an 


LAST    SIXTY-FIVE    YEARS.  299 

impetus  this  will  give  to  the  cause  of  temperance,"  and 
much  more  of  it.  Now,  be  it  known  to  the  constituents 
of  those  worthies,  that  said  resolution  was  nothing  but  a 
gull  trap  ;  that  spirits  continued  to  be  drank  there  as  be 
fore,  simply,  for  a  while,  calling  it  "  Sherry!'  This  I 
can  prove  by  members  of  Congress  themselves.  It  must 
have  struck  the  attention  of  every  man  who  reads  the 
proceedings  of  Congress,  that  when  a  question  is  taken, 
without  a  call  of  the  house,  there  are  seldom  three-fourths 
of  the  members  present,  (there  are  two  hundred  and 
forty-two  members,)  often  not  two-thirds,  and  sometimes 
not  one  half! !  The  question  is,  where  are  they  1  The 
answer  is  ready ;  in  the  "  groggeries"  in  the  basement 
story,  or  at  worse  places,  farther  off.  When  a  call  of  the 
House  takes  place,  the  Sergeant-at-arrns,  or  the  door 
keeper,  give  them  the  hint,  and  they  appear  and  answer 
to  their  names.  This  done,  they  return,  "  like  the  dog  to 
his  vomit,  and  the  sow  that  was  washed  to  her  wallowing 
in  the  mire." 


DAY  OF  THANKSGINING. 

Written  November,  1838. 

Governor  Vance  has  issued  his  proclamation,  appoint 
ing  "  Thursday,  the  fourteenth  day  of  December  next,  to 
be  observed  by  the  people  of  this  State,  as  a  day  of  Thanks 
giving  and  Prayer."  It  is  very  ill-timed.  On  a  day  set 


300  REMINISCENCES,      &C. 

apart  for  such  a  purpose,  if  regarded  as  it  ought  to  be, 
and  as  it  is  in  Massachusetts,  where  it  had  its  origin,  the 
heads  of  families  should,  as  far  as  possible,  be  at  home 
with  their  families. 

In  New  England,  it  is  the  day  when  the  scattered 
members  of  a  family  unite  and  congregate.  The  son  at 
a  distance  from  home,  learning  a  trade  or  business,  is,  by 
his  master  or  employer,  permitted  to  visit  his  parents,  at 
thanksgiving,  and  those  married  and  settled,  even  in  dis 
tant  States,  look  for  the  appointment  of  thanksgiving,  as 
a  day  when  they  will  revisit  the  paternal  mansion,  and 
become,  if  only  for  a  day,  re-united  in  the  bonds  of  affec 
tion,  social  enjoyment  and  peace. 

It  is  a  sight  worthy  of  the  practical  Christian,  to  see,  on 
such  an  occasion,  the  venerable  patriarch  of  a  numerous 
family,  surrounded  by  his  offspring,  and  those  connected 
with  him  by  blood,  or  marriage,  gathered  from  distant 
places,  to  unite  with  him  in  thanksgiving  to  the  Author  of 
all  good,  and  participate  in  the  bounties  of  his  providence. 
It  is  a  day  of  all  others  in  New  England,  in  the  celebra 
tion  of  which,  pure  religion,  innocent  amusements,  and  all 
the  social  affections,  are  united.  It  is,  in  reality,  a  day  of 
joy,  gladness,  and  good  will  to  man,  and  of  thanksgiving 
to  God.  It  keeps  bright  the  chain  of  affection,  between 
separated  and  distant  branches  of  the  same  family,  than 
which  nothing  tends  more  to  ameliorate  the  heart  and 
promote  the  happiness  of  our  race. 

END   OF   VOL.    I. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

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